Government Boards and Committees

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:21): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women questions about the abolition of government boards.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: The government recently announced the abolition of 105 boards, including the Equal Opportunity Tribunal, SAMEAC, the Women's Advisory Committee and the Voices of Women Board, which are all under the minister's purview. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why were these boards suddenly considered to be unnecessary or redundant after so many years?

2. Is the minister happy with the abolition of the equal opportunity board?

3. If so, how can she guarantee that women who have been discriminated against have adequate legal recourse?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:21): I thank the honourable member for his question. Indeed, the Equal Opportunity Commission and tribunal actually do not come under the Office for Women. They come under the Attorney-General's portfolio, so he has been in charge of that.

The honourable member, if he had read a bit more widely, would have seen quite clearly that the EO Commissioner's position remains in place and that the Equal Opportunity Tribunal is proposed to move into SACAT when it is up and running. I think the EO Tribunal is being considered in the second phase. My understanding is that pretty much the status quo will remain in place until our new Civil and Administrative Tribunal is ready to have those roles and functions conferred on it.

I can absolutely reassure honourable members that the role and function of the Equal Opportunity Commissioner and also the role of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal will remain in place and, even with the changes in relation to SACAT, the role and function and protections afforded to members of the public in relation to equal opportunity matters will still be available. They will be just administered from a different jurisdiction.