WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about women's leadership governance training scholarships.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I will get on with the question, but I understand that the other side is in try-out season before the reshuffle tomorrow. Vickie is looking at taking back attorney-general, so I know people are very worried over the other side.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Maher will get to his brief explanation.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: And leadership questions. All but one has a portfolio at the moment, Mr President, and that looks likely to change.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Women in Australia continue to be underrepresented in positions of leadership.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Maher, can you start again, please? The Hon. Mr Maher, give us your brief explanation, please.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Thank you, Mr President. Women in Australia continue to be underrepresented in positions of leadership. This was highlighted recently by the Australian Bureau of Statistics' release of gender indicators, which brings together a variety of ABS and non-ABS data. Can the minister please tell the chamber about the recent initiative to help women gain leadership positions?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:38): While South Australia is the best performing state for women on government boards and committees, the proportion of women on the 200 ASX companies remains low and is currently a meagre 15.4 per cent. I am sure all members would agree that there are many qualified and very talented and experienced women with the ability to positively contribute to the governance of organisations. However, it is often the case that they have very limited opportunity to develop themselves and then to be considered for more senior and leadership positions.

I am therefore absolutely delighted to advise that the Premier and I are offering scholarships for women to attend governance training with the Australian Institute of Company Directors. The Australian Institute of Company Directors is an internationally-recognised, member-based, not-for-profit organisation for directors. Its principal activities include education, conducting professional development programs and events for boards and directors; producing publications on director and governance issues, and developing and promoting policies on issues of interest to directors.

Twenty-five women will be given the opportunity to increase their knowledge of governance issues through the completion of the Foundations of Directorship—Governance for the New Directors course which will be fully funded. The Office for Women is currently developing the scholarship criteria; however, preference will be given to women living in regional areas, Aboriginal women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and women with a disability. This training will enable the scholarship winners to feel more confident in their knowledge of governance and board operations and it is my hope that it will pave the way for greater participation of women on boards.

As women represent half of the talent pool, it is clear that they should have equal representation at the forefront of business, not just out of a sense of fairness but to ensure that the very best minds are brought together to address the issues that business and society face. Further, research tell us that organisations that have women on their boards and in senior decision-making positions will generally deliver better outcomes. I am advised that the US-based Glass Ceiling Research Centre tracked the number of women in high-ranking positions at 215 of the Fortune 500 companies over 18 years and found a strong correlation between a company's profits and the number of senior female executives in its ranks. I am advised that companies with the highest percentage of female executives delivered earnings far in excess of the other larger firms in their industries.

I would also like to mention that I was very pleased to host a women's networking event last night where the Premier announced the new scholarships. It was inspiring being in the same room with so many successful women, who were leaders in their various fields. I want to put on the record my thanks to Kate Gould, a member of the PLUS network group and co-chair of the Premier's Council for Women, for working with me to host this event.

PLUS is a wonderful network of very senior women who use the network to develop professional networks to exchange information and also for personal development. It is a wonderful, inclusive organisation and I certainly congratulate them on that fabulous network. I want to acknowledge the founders of PLUS, Loretta Reynolds, Jacquie Colwell, Rachel Rees and Julianne Parkinson, and also thank Julianne and Amanda Rischbieth for their ongoing work in organising events like the one that we hosted last night.

I would also like to acknowledge the ongoing commitment of the Premier, the Hon. Jay Weatherill, to advancing the role of women in South Australia.