Output 2.2—Women’s Policy

Page Index

• Qualitative assessment
• Key results

Qualitative assessment

Methodology

The quality of the performance of the Office of Status of Women (OSW) in 2003–04 was assessed through formal and informal feedback from the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Office of the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women, Senator the Hon Kay Patterson, the department’s Secretary and other senior executives. Specific feedback was provided on the quality and timeliness of both the division’s policy advice and its achievement of key tasks. All staff members also received (and were given the opportunity to provide) individual feedback, in the context of the department’s performance appraisal framework.

Key stakeholders—including other divisions of the department, the four national women’s sector secretariats, state and territory government agencies, and other Australian Government departments—also provided feedback during regular meetings.

Feedback

Feedback in its various forms indicated that OSW provided timely and relevant advice to government and to the departmental Executive.

At the annual meeting of the secretariats and OSW, held in February 2004, attendees expressed a high degree of satisfaction with OSW consultation and communication processes generally, and complimented the office on the broader consultations undertaken in preparation for the forty‑eighth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 48).

During the year OSW was also in demand to provide information and presentations to visiting delegations, including from Vietnam, Iran, South Korea, Singapore, Japan and China—evidence that the office is highly regarded in its area of work.

Key results

Key result areas for 2003–04 included the establishment of the victim support programme for trafficked persons; policy advice leading to increased support for child care; management of the Australian participation in CSW 48; completion of nine major research projects under Partnerships Against Domestic Violence; finalisation of contract arrangements for a personal safety survey to be conducted in 2005; and establishment of the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault.

Research and policy advice

As part of the Australian Government’s $20 million package of measures to prevent trafficking in persons and provide support to its victims, OSW liaised with a number of agencies to develop and implement the Support for Victims of People Trafficking Programme. OSW manages the programme, which was established in January 2004 to provide personalised support to affected women through a contracted case manager.

First Assistant Secretary, OSW, Kerry Flanagan led the Australian delegation to the Expert Group Meeting on International Trafficking held in Seoul, South Korea, in September 2003. The meeting discussed international best practice methods to combat trafficking in persons, and furthered Australia’s objectives in the context of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime. In May 2004, OSW participated in an AusAID‑funded study tour of Thailand and Australia to develop a programme of support for the return and reintegration of Thai victims of trafficking.

OSW also provided advice to Australian officials participating in the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Gender Focal Point Network, and in 2004 completed a gender resource kit project to assist APEC officials in integrating gender considerations into their policies and projects.

OSW contributed to a number of interdepartmental committees and taskforces that provided advice to government on key policy areas for women, including issues such as managing work and family, demographics, financial literacy, people smuggling, and reform of the United Nations treaty committee system.

The office provided advice to government on child care policy, contributing to the development of three 2004–05 Budget initiatives: an additional 40,000 places for outside school hours care; 4,000 extra family day care places; and support for 4,200 additional playgroups. OSW also worked with other government agencies to advise the government on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs December 2003 report into child custody, Every Picture Tells a Story.

Considerable research was undertaken on the safety of women, particularly those affected by domestic violence or sexual assault. Research was also undertaken on men who use violence, and on the impact on children of witnessing domestic violence. Findings from this research will be distributed widely to inform policy and programme development.

The Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault received funding of $500,000 through the office’s National Initiative to Combat Sexual Assault. The centre provides research and advice services to assist people working against sexual assault, through a centralised library, a good-practice database and a research service. It produces regular publications including newsletters, briefing papers and issues papers relating to sexual assault.

OSW is providing funding of $3.4 million towards a personal safety survey to be undertaken in 2005. This survey will be comparable to the landmark Women’s Safety Survey conducted in 1996, with an increased sample size of 12,000 women. Results for the survey, which is a partnership between OSW and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), will be available in 2006.

In addition, OSW continued to provide funding for the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse—a single point of access to analysis and data, and a venue for original research, on domestic and family violence. The clearinghouse also undertakes valuable research in the area of violence against women, and produces topic and research papers.

Funding of $800,000 was provided under the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence initiative in the 2003–04 Budget for the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Known as Women’s Health Australia, this unique study is to examine the health of a large sample group of Australian women throughout their lives. The funding will assist in the collection of data on the extent and impact of violence on women, contributing to a statistical base for further research in this field.

In 2003–04, one Time Use Fellowship was completed, and two new fellows commenced their work on analysing ABS time use data from a gender perspective. A research monograph on time use was produced, to be published in late 2004, and research findings have been submitted for publication in a number of academic journals.

Coordination

In 2003–04, OSW undertook a number of coordination activities—internally, nationally, and internationally.

The office continued to provide secretariat support to the Commonwealth, State, Territories and New Zealand Ministerial Conference on the Status of Women, which met in Melbourne in August 2003, and for associated meetings of women’s advisers during the year. At the August meeting, ministers agreed to form the National Women’s Safety Taskforce and endorsed the Indigenous Women’s National Action Plan. The national action plan documents the responsibilities of the Australian Government and state and territory governments under the Council of Australian Governments reconciliation process. There are three agreed priority areas for indigenous women: leadership, safety and economic security.

OSW assumed the secretariat responsibilities for the newly formed National Women’s Safety Taskforce, combining the new role with that of chairing the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence Taskforce. The safety taskforce brings together Australian women’s ministers’ collaborative work on domestic violence, sexual assault, and family violence in indigenous communities.

OSW prepared Australia’s fourth and fifth reports on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which were combined in a document lodged with the United Nations on 22 December 2003. Australia is a party to the convention, with reservations on the introduction of paid maternity leave, and on the employment of women in direct military combat duties. The reports drew on input from state and territory governments and community consultation undertaken by the secretariats. The United Nations will consider the report in 2005.

OSW attended the seventh Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (7WAMM), held in Nadi, Fiji, in May and June 2004, at which the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005–2015 was endorsed. OSW also coordinated a questionnaire and responses on Australia’s progress on implementing the Beijing Platform for Action (adopted in 1995) and the Commonwealth Plan of Action on Gender and Development (adopted for five years in 1995, and subsequently updated to continue to 2005), to report to 7WAMM.

The office also made preparations during the year for the tenth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference for Women, to be celebrated in 2005.

Communication and consultation

In 2003–04, OSW provided 269 briefing submissions to the Prime Minister, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.

In the same period OSW coordinated 477 responses to ministerial correspondence, parliamentary questions on notice or correspondence received directly from key stakeholders, including from non-government organisations and the general public.

During the year the division received and responded to an average of 50 calls and 50 emails per week, via the OSW general information phone line, (02) 6271 5722, and email address, women@pmc.gov.au.

On 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (White Ribbon Day), the Prime Minister and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women attended a ceremony to introduce a number of high‑profile Australian men, who support the elimination of violence against women, as ambassadors for the White Ribbon Day campaign. The new ambassadors are Wil Anderson, Graham Ashton, Andrew Denton, Lionel Quartermaine, Dr Peter Shergold, Simon Woolford, the Hon Alexander Downer MP and Senator the Hon Robert Hill.

The office coordinated a number of activities held to commemorate the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage on 16 December 2003, including the Prime Minister’s unveiling of the original copy of the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 in its new location in Parliament House, and the announcement that a commemorative dollar coin would be released by the Royal Australian Mint.

On 1 April 2004 both houses of parliament approved the construction of a commemorative fountain, to be located in the redeveloped gardens at Old Parliament House, in honour of the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage. The design incorporates a timeline which marks significant federal political milestones for Australian women. The fountain is expected to be completed in December 2004.

International Women’s Day was celebrated with two functions on 8 March 2004: a function at Parliament House, hosted by the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women; and the annual Australian Public Service International Women’s Day Luncheon, hosted by OSW.

In 2003–04, OSW responded to some 70 requests for information about the group of more than 400 women who have indicated their availability for appointment to government boards. In the past year, OSW surveyed a number of agencies to assess the usefulness of its Executive Search service; the findings indicated that the service was operating efficiently and was well received.

For the 2004–05 Budget the office prepared a women’s budget information kit, entitled What the Australian Government is Doing for Women. The publication has proven to be extremely popular, and the office received many requests for copies.

During 2003–04 the four women’s national secretariats supported by OSW (National Rural Women’s Coalition, WomenSpeak Network, Australian Women’s Coalition and Security 4 Women) each:

• produced three reports against the key outcomes of policy advice, governance, consultation, and information and education
• produced written submissions commenting on the two CSW 48 themes—‘The role of men and boys in achieving gender equality’ and ‘Women’s equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building’—which informed Australia’s position at the United Nations forum
• participated in an annual OSW–secretariats meeting to discuss key policy issues for the women’s sector
• participated in bimonthly teleconferences with OSW to discuss contract requirements and other issues impacting on the women’s sector.

Each secretariat also produced a major policy research report or budget statement during the year. The National Rural Women’s Coalition produced a policy paper, Managing Drought—Managing Solutions; WomenSpeak Network produced the Pre-budget Submission for the 2004–05 Budget; Australian Women’s Coalition produced the Anti-trafficking Leading Practice Research Report; and Security 4 Women produced a policy report, Economic Security for Women.

The secretariats were also involved in organising a number of public discussions, including:

• a drought forum (National Rural Women’s Coalition)
• a Youth Advisory and Consultative Forum (WomenSpeak Network)
• a grandparenting forum (Australian Women’s Coalition)
• a superannuation roundtable (Security 4 Women).