The Hodgman majority Liberal Government is committed to creating a more inclusive Tasmania that empowers and enables women and girls to fully participate in our economic, social, political and community life.
The Board Diversity Governance Scholarships Program is a joint initiative of the Government and Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), to support Tasmanian women gain a greater understanding of the duties and responsibilities of being a board director.
Over the past few months, I have been in discussions with key peak bodies in industries where women are traditionally under-represented on Government boards and in leadership roles.
I'm pleased to announce we are partnering with these key peak bodies to jointly promote the scholarship program though their networks.
This year, the Program is targeting applications from women working in the agriculture, forestry, fisheries, building and construction and the mining sectors with scholarships to be awarded to undertake the Company Directors Course and Foundations of Directorship Course. We are also providing scholarships for the Not-for-Profit Directors Course for the first time, responding to feedback from industry about how best to support women in these areas.
While we specifically targeting these areas, the program remains open to all interested women to apply.
With 75 scholarships awarded to Tasmanian women since 2015, the Program is part of the Government’s Women on Boards Strategy to increase the representation of women on Government boards and committees to 50 per cent by 2020.
When we first came to Government, women held only 33.8 per cent of all board positions. As at 30 June 2019, the percentage of board positions held by women is at 44.90 per cent – an increase of more than 32 per cent in the ratio of women board members, and an increase of nearly 11 percentage points in the number of board positions held by women since 2015.
Applications for the Program are now open and close on Monday 9 December 2019.
Information on the Program, including the guidelines and details about how to apply are available by calling the AICD on 1300 739 119 or emailing tas@aicd.com.au