The Department of Finance has thrown its support behind the Department of Communities as it leads an innovative, 12-month pilot scheme to improve gender equality in the State’s public sector.
In a statement, Finance said 13 State Government Agencies were taking part in the pilot scheme which was going under the title Gender Equality in Procurement.
“It is designed to raise awareness of the benefits of gender equality in Western Australian workplaces using selected public sector procurement processes,” Finance said.
“When Western Australian suppliers apply for selected Government tender processes, they are now going to be asked gender equality questions to determine whether they are supporting a gender-equal workplace,” it said.
Finance said data would be collected by Tenders WA which would help inform the next steps towards implementing gender equality.
“Western Australia is the second State in Australia (after Victoria) to introduce a gender equality clause into selected public sector procurement processes,” Finance said.
“It is an initiative of the Second Action Plan under the Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality.”
The Department of Finance said it was passionate about gender equality in the workplace and the broader society and was determined to use the results from the pilot scheme to bring about greater gender equality to the State.
An initiative of the Second Action Plan under the ‘ Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality’ can be accessed on the Department of Communities website at this PS News link.
