Voices of Women Board

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:54): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question on the subject of the announced abolition of the Voices of Women Board.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: One of the key initiatives of the DECD Women's Charter was the establishment of the DECD Voices of Women Board. Given the aim of this advisory board is to provide expert advice, recommendations and leadership on areas impacting on women employed by DECD, and the board's work forms the basis of regular reporting to the chief executive to directly influence DECD policy and practice in a range of areas, has the Minister for the Status of Women (in that capacity) or her agency recommended alternative means by which these outcomes will now be achieved, given the proposed abolition of this board? What mechanisms will be available to broker the scholarships currently administered by this board? Additionally, does the abolition of this board create a cost saving to government or is it budget neutral, and what is the quantum of any expected savings?

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) (14:55): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. Obviously, this board is a board that doesn't report to me. It is a board that reports to Jennifer Rankine, so I am not familiar—

The Hon. T.A. Franks: It reports to the CE of DECD, and administers scholarships, and gives advice to—

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Yes, but it is a board that is basically responsible to minister Rankine. So I don't know the details of that, and I'm not familiar with the terms of reference of that particular board as I have not had a great deal to do with it in the past.

However, there are a number of boards that because of the way they are operating their function is still highly valued, but it doesn't need to be structured as a formal government board or committee. I know a number of these boards propose to continue, and so those roles and functions are still likely to be completed in some way. Some of these boards are changing and slightly amending and updating their terms of references, things like that; changing what they do in certain ways to update their role and functions.

Having said that, I know there are a number of boards that still perform their important functions, but they are not functions that need to be set up in a governance structure that is a formal part of government. That might be one of those boards. I am not sure, but I think that information is going to be available online.