The ACT Government celebrates the achievements of women and girls and is committed to further progressing women's equality in their homes, local communities and workplaces.
This International Women's Day a report on the third year of Equity Together: Second Action Plan 2020-2022 under the ACT Women's Plan 2016-2026 has highlighted the Government's ongoing work.
"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," said Minister for Women Yvette Berry.
"In 2023, the theme for International Women's Day is 'Cracking the code: Innovation for a gender equal future'. I am proud to say Canberra continues to be a leader in this area.
"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. More than 100 female and gender diverse students participated, exceeding the expected 60 students for the program in the 2022 school year."
Reporting also highlighted that 23 of the 29 actions in the Second Action Plan have been fully completed. Of the six still underway, two more are expected to be completed in the coming months.
Significant achievements include:
- Community consultation to inform development of Gender Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines, to ensure our city is a place all Canberrans are proud to call home
- Completing the construction of Common Ground Dickson, providing 20 social housing and 20 affordable housing units that respond to the needs of tenants including older women, single parents, and families with children
- Engaging with the community on the implementation of recommendations from the We Don't Shoot Our Wounded report. This has been done under the guidance of the Domestic Violence Prevention Council's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group.
"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," said Minister Berry.
"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.
"I am excited about the progress that lies ahead as we continue our extensive engagement with community members, the community sector, industry and across government to ensure our whole community is actively working towards true equality for women and girls."
On 20 March 2023, the Annual Statement on the status of women and girls in the ACT – which will address some of the key issues impacting women and girls in our community – will be delivered in the ACT Legislative Assembly.
