Page 3693 - Week 12 - Thursday, 13 October 1994
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well with other jurisdictions. In the present ACT Legislative Assembly, six of the 17 members are women, and in Australian political experience we are unique in that women simultaneously occupy the positions of Speaker, Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition. In addition, two ACT government agencies - the Department of Public Administration and the Department of Education and Training - are headed by women. Madam Speaker, I believe that it is important to encourage broad debate and understanding about the role of women in politics and in the exercise of power generally. For this reason, I will be distributing the discussion paper widely in the ACT community. The paper will be a particularly useful addition to school and college libraries.
The conference also addressed the important issue of providing women with equal access to government services. Ministers agreed to commission research to develop and produce a framework for ensuring that government programs, services and activities are gender inclusive. This approach is consistent with the initiatives already under way to make customers a key focus for ACT Government-provided services. For example, both the ACT Government Service access and equity program and the introduction of the social justice budget statement encourage agencies to be more focused on the needs of clients. The access and equity program encourages managers to identify barriers to the services that they deliver to the community and to implement strategies to address those barriers. The program places particular emphasis on addressing the special needs of those people in the community who experience disadvantage. The social justice budget statement plays a similar role. It seeks to ensure that program managers across the ACTGS specifically consider the impact of their programs on every member of the community in terms of issues such as equity, access and participation.
The conference also considered the range of policy issues affecting the well-being of women with carer responsibilities. Access to, and coordination of, support services for carers were areas of particular discussion. The provision of more flexible, accessible and appropriate respite care was also highlighted as an issue of concern to women. The conference's interest in these issues reflects an increasing recognition of the personal costs associated with undertaking the caring role, which is primarily undertaken by women. These costs can include emotional stress, an adverse impact on the carer's health, financial difficulties and limited career opportunities. Indeed, at a public forum held by the ACT Women's Consultative Council this year, respite care and the economic independence of carers were identified as the two most pressing issues.
In response to our growing understanding of these issues, in the 1994-95 budget the ACT Government announced a number of significant initiatives to assist carers. These included an enhancement of community based support services funded under the home and community care program; professional training for carers of the aged in the ACT; innovative employer supported child-care initiatives which pilot a number of after-school and vacation care programs for children and young people with a disability; and the establishment of a family support group at Jindalee Nursing Home. In addition, the ACT Government is actively looking at ways in which, as an employer, it can be more responsive to the needs of workers with carer responsibilities.
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