The Community Services Directorate marked International Women’s Day yesterday (8 March) with the release of a progress report on a plan to achieve gender equality in homes, local communities and workplaces across the ACT.
Welcoming the report, Minister for Women, Yvette Berry said it recorded progress on the third year of the Directorate’s Equity Together: Second Action Plan 2020-2022 under the ACT Women’s Plan 2016-2026.
“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on progress made towards women’s equality, call for further change, and celebrate the achievements of women and girls in all aspects of our society,” Ms Berry said.
“One of the key achievements highlighted by the report is the high level of interest in the Women in Construction elective for Women in Years 9 – 10 as part of the Understanding Building and Construction Pilot Program,” she said.
“More than 100 female and gender diverse students participated, exceeding the expected 60 students for the program in the 2022 school year.”
Ms Berry said the report also highlighted that 23 of the 29 actions in the Second Action Plan had been fully completed.
She said that of the six actions still underway, two were expected to be completed in the coming months.
The Minister said significant achievements included community consultation to inform development of Gender Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines; completing the construction of Common Ground Dickson; and engaging with the community on the implementation of recommendations from the We Don’t Shoot Our Wounded report.
“These successes build on the ACT Government’s commitment to remove barriers to enable women, girls and gender diverse people to reach their potential, contribute to innovation and ideas and to take up leadership positions,” Ms Berry said.
“We have consulted on the development of the Third Action Plan under the ACT Women’s Plan, ensuring the views of the community are central to the plan’s development.”
The Directorate’s 29-page progress report can be accessed at this PS News link.
