Tuesday, 28 November 2023

Ministers statements: gender equality

Natalie HUTCHINS (Sydenham – Minister for Jobs and Industry, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Minister for Women) (14:10): I rise to update the house on a significant milestone, and that is: our Parliament now has 64 women and 64 men. This means we have reached gender parity in government in this Parliament, and we really look forward to the new member for Mulgrave joining us here in the chamber.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members know not to refer to the gallery.

Natalie HUTCHINS: I am proud to be part of a government led by a woman, with 56 per cent of its caucus women and 68 per cent of its ministry women. Unlike those opposite, we know that quotas and affirmative action work, and they lead to better policies and outcomes for all Victorians. Our mission is for a fair and equal Victoria. Our vision for a fair and equal Victoria is embedded in a plan called Our Equal State. This is a new gender equality strategy that was released with 110 actions to be embedded across government over the next 10 years to advance gender equality. This morning the Workplace Gender Equality Agency also released its data on the state of workplace gender equality nationally and noted that the national gender pay gap has fallen to a new low of 21.7 per cent. I look forward to when WGEA data can actually include government entities as we do here in Victoria. The Allan Labor government leads the nation in progressing gender equality. On this side we have a plan for Victoria. It is called Our Equal State. And we have a plan for our party room. It is called affirmative action. We want to see the girls of today be the women of tomorrow, having every opportunity available to them regardless of their background.