Mandatory quotas may be needed on boards (2010)
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published.
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published.
Before I begin today I would like to thank Michael West for his generous welcome to country this morning and also pay my deepest respects to the traditional owners of this land - the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and the elders, both past and present.
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published.
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 The Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, has appeared before the United Nations Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in New York this week. Enshrined within the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of...
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published.
I have been asked why, as Sex Discrimination Commissioner, I have so strongly argued for an increase in the numbers of women in senior business leadership positions.
As I was having dinner at the Business Council of Australia last night, surrounded by Australia’s captains of industry (almost exclusively male), across the other side of the globe, the World Economic Forum was releasing the Global Gender Gap Report for 2009. How would Australia fare I wondered?
And looking specifically at the issue of women in corporate leadership, Norway’s experience with the introduction of quotas for corporate boards has shown that such measures can radically alter gender equality outcomes for the better.
It heartens me today to be able to welcome the release of the National Council’s Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. This is the first time we have had a national plan in such a comprehensive form. The challenge now is to ensure that this plan is properly resourced so that all women and their children can live a life free from violence.
HELLO! Is anyone listening? I am the fourth sex discrimination commissioner to argue for a government-funded national scheme of paid parental leave, and I pray that I am the last. Yesterday the "Attitudes to maternity leave in Australia" survey was released, showing yet again that Australians across the board are in favour of this kind of scheme.
We are in economic times that the world has never seen before. Much has been said about the prospect of massive retrenchments and unemployment. Much has been said about ways in which we might work to minimise job losses. Much has been said about the sectors from which these job losses will come. But not much has been said about what this downturn will mean for women.
In times of crisis, our true character comes to the fore. Some panic. Others freeze. Those who survive best remain calm and seize the opportunities to innovate. In the long term, they are usually better for the experience.
It would be a baffling about face. In a business climate that calls for decisions that will provide our country with some form of economic certainty and optimism, paid maternity leave is precisely a policy for our times. Not only will it improve national productivity and market competitiveness over the long term by ensuring women remain attached to the workplace, it will support these strong economic outcomes with a strong social dimension.
Tough economic times call for tough business decisions. Decisions made now to strengthen our country’s productivity and market competitiveness will be among the most important of our time. This is precisely the reason why we must stay committed to introducing a government-funded scheme of paid maternity leave.