Media Release – International Women’s Day – Gender Budget Impact Statement Proposal

The Legislative Council will today mark International Women’s Day by debating a call for Tasmania to adopt a Gender Budget Impact Statement as part of the annual State Budget Papers.

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb MLC tabled the motion which will be debated today.

“The proposal seeks to hardwire gender responsive budgeting processes into the State Budget cycle to ensure all expenditure or income proposals are assessed for gender implications and effects on equality before they could proceed,” Ms Webb said.

“Premier Peter Gutwein’s State of the State Address reiterated this government’s commitment to supporting women to aspire to and participate in decision-making and leadership positions. 

“Participating in the State Budget process is a key decision-making process for women and gender diverse Tasmanians.

“Voting in support of this motion will demonstrate leadership and commitment to ‘break the bias’, by moving beyond piecemeal schemes and tokenistic lip service to challenge the structural barriers faced by many Tasmanian women and girls.”

Ms Webb said providing a formal statement analysing and assessing the gender and equality implications of budget spending and cuts is considered standard best practice elsewhere.

““Federally we saw the Australian government reintroduce a national budget gender impact statement last year and Victoria has been doing so since the 1980s.

“The Women Tasmania website highlights the constructive role of gender budgeting analysis but directs viewers to international and national examples of models in place.

“Wouldn’t it be great if our state agency, Women Tasmania, could aspire to being able to list on its website a Tasmanian model of a Gender Budget Impact analysis and assessment?

“There is no good reason for the Tasmanian government to fail to produce an analytical Gender Budget Impact Statement when it delivers the May State Budget, and today’s Legislative Council vote is an opportunity for that commitment to be made.”

Ms Webb reiterated a gender budget impact assessment would not only focus upon how budgetary processes and priorities impact upon women and girls, but will also include men, boys, LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians, and those who identify as non-binary.

The text of Ms Webb’s Motion to be debated this afternoon:

(1)        That the Legislative Council notes:

(a)        The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Council of Europe defines gender responsive budgeting as: “Gender budgeting is an application of gender mainstreaming in the budgetary process. It means a gender-based assessment of budgets, incorporating a gender perspective at all levels of the budgetary process and restructuring revenues and expenditures in order to promote gender equality”;

(b)        in 2019, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated, “Gender equity, achieved through gender responsive budgeting, is more than a human rights issue. It’s an economic imperative”; and

(c)        Gender Equity Victoria defines the three key areas of gender budgeting as:

(i)         gender-informed resource allocation whereby individual policy decisions and/or funding allocations take into account the impact of the decision on gender equality;

(ii)        analysis at the sectorial level of the impact of decisions on gender equality within that  sector or industry; and

(iii)       assessment of the impact of the budget as a whole is subject to some degree of gender analysis.

(2)        That the Legislative Council further notes:

(a)        Australia was recognised as a pioneer and global leader in developing an analytical gender lens to evaluate economic infrastructure and outcomes, by including the nation’s first Women’s Budget Statement in the 1984-85 Federal Budget;

(b)        the National Gender Budget Statement stopped being produced in 2014, but was reinstated by the Federal government in the 2021-22 Federal Budget Papers;

(c)        Victoria has produced a Gender Budget Impact Statement as part of its State Budget Papers  since its introduction in the 1986-87 Budget year; and

(d)        gender responsive budgeting would provide another tool within the State legislative and policy framework to facilitate improved economic security for, and economic participation of, Tasmanian women and gender-diverse communities.

(3)        That the Legislative Council calls upon the Tasmanian Government to:

(a)        Develop genuine whole-of-government gender-responsive budgeting processes; and

(b)        introduce an analytical Budget Gender Impact Statement as part of the 2022-23 State Budget papers.