The Hodgman Liberal Government’s Women on Boards Strategy 2015-2020 is helping us to reach our target to increase women’s representation on Tasmanian Government Boards to 50 per cent by 2020.
The Women on Boards Strategy Annual Report 2017 shows that since the Strategy's release in 2015, Tasmania has had the biggest growth of women's representation on government boards across all states and territories*, increasing from 33.8 per cent to 40.1 per cent as of September 2017.
This represents an increase of around 19 per cent in the ratio of women board members, and an increase of 6.3 percentage points in the number of board positions held by women since 2015.
The Government is seeing good progress in board positions held by women, with 48 per cent of all new appointments and 53 per cent of all reappointments in the last 12 months being women.
As at the end of August this year, women also held 53 per cent of director positions on Government Business Enterprises and 44 per cent of Director positions on state owned companies.
This is a result of greater consideration given to identifying and recruiting women with the relevant knowledge, skills and experience to fill board vacancies.
There have also been noticeable increases in the percentage of board and committee positions held by women across a number of Government departments and agencies including the Department of State Growth (increase of 14.6 per cent), Education (8.2 per cent) Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (6.3 per cent) and Justice (4.5 per cent).
Tourism Tasmania also had an increase of 14.3 per cent and TAFE Tasmania 11.1 per cent.
As part of the strategy, the Government has committed $150,000 over three years to support the Tasmanian Government Board Diversity Governance Scholarship Program through our partnership with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
In 2017, 95 applications have been received for the program. The applications are being assessed and an announcement of the successful applicants will be made at a ceremony on 8 November 2017.
While our plan to increase the number of women on Tasmanian Government boards is working, we know we still have more to do.
To view the Women on Boards Strategy 2015-2020 Annual Report go to: http://bit.ly/2yMw94y.
* Victoria not included as data was for paid positions only.