Women in Local Government Elections

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:55): By way of a supplementary question, does the minister know of any women with disabilities nominating for council, and what is the government doing to decrease the significant barriers that people with disabilities in general can face to participating in government?

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): Is the honourable member talking about the participation of women with disability in local government or in government generally?

The Hon. K.L. Vincent: Local government.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Again, that would be an ideal question to direct to the LGA and other local councillors. It is an independent level of government; it does not come under the direction of state government, and it is a question I would sincerely encourage the honourable member to take up directly with the LGA and other local councils. We all know the benefits of diversity and being more inclusive in the way we operate, particularly representations in organisations, and that goes across a whole range of demographic indicators, not just age and ethnicity but also disability. We know that increasing diversity is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do. Organisations provide better, more thoughtful and inclusive policy and decisions when they have better diversity of representation in their organisation.