Page 931 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 22 March 2017
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MS CHEYNE: I move the following amendments to the motion standing in my name:
(1) In paragraph (3)(f), omit “and”.
(2) Add:
“(h) actively working to recruit, support and retain women in our Emergency Services, through targeted recruitment strategies and dedicated support programs;
(i) recognising that the ACT Emergency Services Agency has a policy to provide, as is practicable, appropriate toilet facilities at fire staging areas for female firefighters, and that this policy will be monitored to ensure available resources are being used to their fullest extent;
(j) working to establish prison industry employment opportunities for women and continuing to enhance training for women at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, along with essential rehabilitation and support courses; and
(k) understanding the need for women to have privacy and security in breastfeeding rooms in public sector buildings, noting that the ACT has led the way in enabling breastfeeding friendly workplaces, and committing to actively assess a wider rollout of door locks, while taking into consideration the safety and security aspects of lockable doors in such spaces.”.
I will speak very briefly to the amendments. I would like to thank Mrs Jones for bringing the issues to light and for the opportunity to be able to put on the public record, by way of these amendments, that these are matters that we as a government are keen to keep working on. ACT Labor is committed to ensuring that women are provided with appropriate facilities for work and training that cater to their particular needs. We will need to work together to ensure that these issues are addressed for all women in the ACT. The amendments recognise that Labor is working to meet the needs of female firefighters and breast-feeding mothers in the ACT government. We are also working to establish prison industry employment opportunities for women and continuing to enhance training for women at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, along with essential rehabilitation and support courses.
I commend the amendments to my motion to the Assembly.
MRS JONES (Murrumbidgee) (5.35): I am really pleased to stand today and respond to my colleague’s significant motion on women, and I thank Ms Cheyne for the motion. Indeed, we have a great deal to celebrate in the ACT, and I acknowledge the tripartisan nature of the support. I guess we are learning to say “tri” instead of “bi”.
As the Minister for Women pointed out in her ministerial statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2017, the disparities across social, political and community spheres are glaring. These disparities are a stark reminder of the urgent
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