Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

Despite the interjections from those on the other side, I can assure you, given Senator O'Sullivan's background, that he is fundamentally committed to gender equality, in particular to reducing violence against women and girls.

The government is committed to promoting gender equality across the Public Service and private sectors. One of the initiatives that we have recently instituted is that we have relocated the BoardLinks program into the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to ensure that a whole-of-government approach is applied to promoting more women onto government boards and into leadership roles.

I am pleased to say that there are already a number of examples across the Australian Public Service where departments are taking the lead to increase gender diversity within their workplaces—for example, Treasury's Progressing Women Initiative. Treasury made it a strategic business priority to achieve gender equality, particularly in senior leadership.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently launched with Minister Bishop the gender equality and empowerment strategy. What this strategy is aimed at is driving progress in three areas, and those three areas are fundamental to gender equality. They include ending violence against women and girls, something I would hope that all of us in this chamber are committed to; women's economic empowerment; and women's participation in leadership and, of course, peace building.

And, of course, there is Defence's Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. I note that the Minister for Defence herself is fundamentally committed to gender equality. Her department has a gender diversity strategy to ensure that Defence becomes an employer of choice for men and women alike.

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

Senator Whish-Wilson interjecting—