Gender equality should be the budget bottom line every day

Inequality can make Women’s Day celebrations tough to swallow.

It is hard to ignore the irony of the annual International Women’s Day celebrations occurring in the wake of parliaments nationally experiencing a long overdue reckoning over entrenched and unacceptable misogynistic and predatory behaviour.

Many will be wondering whether they have the stomach to sit through well meaning but self-congratulatory breakfasts and events celebrating how far we’ve come in pursuing gender equity and respect, against such a bleak and distressing backdrop.

No matter how dispirited many of us may feel, it is important to remember these days are intended to both celebrate achievements while raising awareness of further work needed, and to galvanise energy and focus. And we need that clear-sighted commitment more than ever. The UN Women theme for 2021 International Women’s Day is Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. Make no mistake, that is more than a mere theme, it’s a challenge. In fact, it’s a community-wide call to action.

Global and local reports reiterate that women and girls are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, a situation exacerbated for women of colour.

Recent gains towards securing equal representation in employment, education and training, and accessing health services are being reversed, while incidents of violence are increasing.

It was therefore deeply disappointing and concerning when the Premier’s Economic and Social Response Advisory Committee’s (PESRAC) interim report last year, despite acknowledging growing awareness of the disproportionate impact of the pandemic upon Tasmanian women, offered little in the way of meaningful initiatives to counter this trend other than urging the government to facilitate women’s access to the predicted-to-boom construction industries. While this may appeal to and benefit some women, it is blind and deaf to the challenges experienced by others, and particularly insensitive to the needs of those from cultural backgrounds which would consider construction sites as unacceptable environments.

It clearly fails the International Women’s Day challenge. However, there are other levers available to the state government to drive real change for Tasmanian women and girls, paving the way towards “an equal future in a COVID-19 world” .

During November’s Budget Estimates committee hearings, I suggested to Minister for Women Sarah Courtney that the state government introduce a gender impact assessment process to evaluate policy and legislation going before Cabinet to provide a consistent focus on making visible those who are too often rendered invisible.

As demonstrated by the PESRAC Interim Report.

Similarly, it would be best practice to introduce a gender  impact assessment statement as part of the budget process.

As the Women Tasmania website states, “unfortunately the way policies and programs are developed and implemented can sometimes create unintended barriers to gender equality” .

The website then highlights jurisdictions such as New Zealand, Canada and the Netherlands, which have incorporated gender impact assessments in their policy development procedures as a matter of course, to ensure policies and legislation do not exacerbate inequities. Closer to home, Victorian budget papers include a Gender Equality Budget statement.

I was greatly heartened by Minister Courtney’s undertaking to take on notice this proposal and investigate it further. Interestingly, a gender equity budget assessment was implemented at the federal level from the time of its introduction by the Hawke government until its disappearance under the Abbott government.

A recent commonwealth paper found that when such a gender impact assessment was in place it contributed to the identification of different gender realities and potential ramifications of policy, such as the different impact on women and men of the age pension tax transfer system, which was then addressed in the relevant budget statements at the time.

We need to be consistent and clinical in identifying barriers to equal participation while also assessing potential remedial action.

The state government can demonstrate leadership by implementing a gender impact assessment model by which its own actions can be rigorously and transparently evaluated.

By pulling this lever, the Tasmanian government could fast-track cultural change by setting the best practice standard for itself, and across private and public sectors.

Tasmanian women and girls don’t need self-serving platitudes from our leaders this International Women’s Day, instead they deserve Tasmania to step up and meet the UN challenge to achieve an equal future in a COVID-19 world.

Meg Webb is the independent member for the Legislative Council seat of Nelson.

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