Finlaysons Women in Business

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:03): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about Finlaysons Women in Business event.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: The Finlaysons Women In Business group is a forum of South Australian women lawyers, clients and relevant contacts in government and business to network and discuss business ideas, issues and opportunities. Minister, will you tell us about your attendance at the Finlaysons Women in Business function?

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) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. As a government that takes women's leadership seriously and sets targets to increase the participation of women in leadership positions as part of the state's Strategic Plan, I always enjoy attending events where women are able to network and meet other contacts and leaders in relevant fields.

On Tuesday 10 June I attended Finlaysons Women in Business event. This business group was launched in 1997 to provide an inspiring and productive forum for female lawyers, clients and contacts in business and government, to get to know each other better and to explore business opportunities and discuss issues and ideas. The keynote speaker for the event was Ms Maggie Beer, an amazing and very accomplished South Australian, as we all know. She is an amazing woman and obviously a leader in her field.

I was thrilled to be able to introduce Maggie, given that she is a respected mentor to many, and to listen to her talk about her career, the challenges that she has faced and the advice that she can pass on to other women who aspire to be leaders in their field. Maggie is one of Australia's best known culinary icons and very much a Barossa food tradition in her own right. Maggie's fame has been built on a career that spans occupations in farming, restaurants, food production, exporting, food writing and, of course, her very famous television presenting. Most of all she is a leader and an inspiration to many other women.

Making the most of fresh, healthy seasonal ingredients is something that Maggie is passionate about, particularly through her new venture the Maggie Beer Foundation 'A Good Food Life for All'. We all know that food is one of the best ways of nurturing wellbeing and this is especially important as we get older. Maggie has made it her personal mission to link the latest research of nutrition's impact on brain health and general wellbeing with her very intimate knowledge, understanding and skills of what good food can do for people's state of mind.

Listening to female leaders like Maggie, I am proud to say that I am part of a government that takes women's leadership seriously and that we are prepared to do something about it, and that is why we have set in South Australia's Strategic Plan to increase the participation of women leadership. I am very pleased to say that we are currently the best performing jurisdiction in Australia, with women comprising just under 48 per cent of the state government's board members. This is even more impressive when you consider that for the ASX 200 it is currently 18 per cent of women representation on boards.

We have come a long way but, clearly, we still have further to go and I want to see more women taking on leadership roles around our state. To that end, the South Australian government is offering another set of scholarships for 25 women to attend board training, delivered by the Australian Institute of Company Directors. We did a similar thing last year and we are repeating it again this year. This scholarship program is a great way to help women secure the skills and confidence they need to boost their career prospects. It is especially important that we continue to help women who may otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in this type of program and this type of development.

Priorities for the scholarships will be given to South Australian women living in regional areas, Aboriginal women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, women living with a disability and, this time around, we have said that at least two of the scholarships will be awarded to older women aged 60 and over, and at least two will be awarded to a young woman aged 25 years of age or under. Applications, forms and answers to frequently asked questions are available on the Office for Women website. The applications close on 20 June—it is the 18^th today so interested people need to sign up quickly.

The low numbers of women in leadership is just one of the many issues affecting South Australian women and the Premier's Council for Women wants to address what matters to them. The role of the Premier's Council for Women is to provide quality, independent advice to the South Australian government to advocate for improved opportunities, wellbeing and services for all women in South Australia.

Recently, the council sought input from South Australian women and what is important to them through the Premier's Council for Women survey. This survey closed last Friday and I look forward to being able to update the chamber with the result of that survey in the near future. I thank Finlaysons for inviting me to attend their event and congratulate them on providing such a useful forum for women leaders that assists in the development of other women leaders in this state.