Page 929 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 22 March 2017
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only widen. I thank all members of the community for their enthusiasm and support for women in our community through the International Women’s Day events.
The ACT government also recognises the central role of women in Canberra’s multicultural community. At its very core, multiculturalism is about respecting and valuing difference. This includes differences of values, culture, religion and gender. Multiculturalism enriches the lives of all people and provides a rich diversity for our community to embrace and build on. Women in the multicultural community foster a sense of belonging which is particularly important for new people settling in Canberra and helps them to cope with a new society and to break down the barriers of social isolation. Belonging, respect and celebration help to support all people in leading productive and meaningful lives.
There are many groups which support women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, such as the ACT Muslim women’s organisation, Initiatives For Women In Need, Support Asian Women’s Friendship Association, ACT Chinese Women Cultural Association and the ACT Pacific Islands Women in the Capital. All of these groups received funding from the ACT government through the 2016-17 participation (multicultural) grants program.
The ACT government and the ACT community continue to work together in harmony to provide multicultural services for women. These services are responsive, fully accessible and, most importantly, target those who are most in need in our community. The ACT government recognises that women and girls from diverse backgrounds may need information and services that are tailored to their needs. This is articulated in the first action plan that I mentioned before, and it outlines a range of initiatives.
Women also make a valuable and significant contribution to the social fabric of our community, and this is an achievement of which we should be very proud. One important area in which women have continued to achieve is in sport and active recreation. The ACT recognises that there is a link between sport and social inclusion, and belonging. Under the first action plan the ACT government addresses the health needs of women and girls. Our government has also committed $2.5 million in funding to women’s sports.
Women in the ACT make a strong contribution to the economy, with 106,000 women over 15 years of age in the workforce in the ACT. However, despite this participation, women still earn 11.5 per cent less than a man in the ACT, and 16 per cent less nationally.
The gender pay gap means that women in our community are retiring with less superannuation and have fewer life savings. Nationally, on average, Australian women retire with half the superannuation of Australian men. Furthermore, a cut to penalty rates will exacerbate the gender pay gap and have a huge impact on women’s lives. Women will be disproportionately impacted by the cuts to weekend penalty rates in the ACT, with 55 per cent of the affected people expected to be women. I do not need to remind this chamber that many women do not choose to do this work; they do it out of necessity.
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