Opinion Piece-Gender Lens provides better budget equality

Opinion Piece| The Hobart Observer | 12 March 2024; pg 15.

Women’s History Month Feature

Gender Lens Reveals Better Budget Equality, writes Meg Webb MLC.

WOMEN’S History Month encourages us to learn more about the stories behind working for greater gender equality.

The 2024 theme is ‘Women who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.’

This recognises that women’s advocacy has been pivotal to drive positive social change to improve opportunities for women and girls.

Sometimes important stories are not about individual trailblazers but also the collective effort.

For me, an important story currently being written is that of governments putting a gender lens over the development of policy and budgets, to achieve greater equity and better outcomes for their communities.

A gender lens is needed because some policies may appear gender neutral but in fact can impact people differently or disproportionately based on their gender and this can increase existing inequality.

By proactively thinking about gender impact through the budget process, governments can identify and fund measures that close gender gaps, rather than widen them.

In 1984, the Australian Federal Government released the world’s first effort at gender responsive budgeting.

Since being elected in 2019, I’ve been actively advocating for the Tasmanian Government to step up and adopt a similar gender lens approach to the state budget.

Pleasingly, the Tasmanian government responded and delivered its first gender budget statement in 2022-23.

While this was a good start, there’s plenty scope for further improvement, particularly in reflecting the lived experience

Stories of people of different cultural backgrounds, ages and mental and physical disability.

By using both gender and diversity lenses we can shine a light on a range of equity issues. This will help ensure available resources can be targeted to address gender inequalities and support sustainable, inclusive development for all.

I will continue to advocate strongly for better outcomes for the Tasmanian community through driving equity, diversity and inclusion for all Tasmanian women and girls.

View Meg’s Women’s Histry Month Feature Opinion Piece as published in the Hobart Observer, pg 15:

See more of Meg in the media.