Increasing women's participation
The Tasmanian Government is committed to a target of 50 per cent representation of women across government boards and committees by July 2020.
On 1 July 2015, the Minister for Women, Jacquie Petrusma MP, released the Women on Boards Strategy 2015-20: A Five-Year Plan for Improving Gender Equity on Tasmanian Government Boards and Committees.
The Strategy outlines actions for increasing women’s participation on government boards and committees. It also complements the Tasmanian Women’s Strategy 2018-21 and will help break down the barriers that produce inequities for women and girls.
- Women on Boards Strategy 2015-20 (MS Word, 1.1MB)
- Women on Boards Strategy 2015-20 (PDF, 751KB)
On 29 September 2017 the second report on the implementation of the Women on Board Strategy 2015-2020 was released. The report shows that the percentage of Tasmanian Government board and committee positions held by women had increased from 33.8 per cent in April 2015 to 40.1 per cent in 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.
- Women on Boards Strategy Annual Report 2018 (PDF)
- Women on Boards Strategy 2015-2020 - 2017 Report (Accessible HTML)
- Women on Boards Strategy 2015-2020 - 2017 Report (PDF)
Tasmanian Women's Register
The Tasmanian Women’s Register is a secure database of women who have indicated an interest in being appointed to Government boards and committees. The Register is administered by Communities, Sport and Recreation (CSR) in the Department of Communities Tasmania.
The Register is maintained in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act 2004. You may add or remove your name from the register or amend your details any time by emailing womens.register@communities.tas.gov.au
Agencies undertaking board and committee vacancies should consult with the Women’s Register officer on (03) 6232 7143 and send the position details to womens.register@communities.tas.gov.au
CSR will promote all vacancies to Register members in an email broadcast and on the webpage. Use of the Register will be noted by Cabinet as part of the Appointment briefings process.
Other State and Territory Government board registers
Vacancies
Information about current vacancies can be found here.
Women on State Sporting Organisation Boards
Communities, Sport and Recreation (CSR) is committed to providing leadership to the Tasmanian sporting sector in the key area of governance. Through the provision of resources, CSR supports the sector to implement governance structures that promote diversity in senior roles of sports governance. CSR is committed to monitoring female representation on State Sporting Organisation boards as a baseline measure of diversity in the sector.
- Women on State Sporting Organisation Boards Report 2018 (PDF, 1.09MB)
Board Diversity Scholarships
The Government Board Diversity Scholarship Program is a joint initiative of the Tasmanian Government and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
The Program aims to increase the number of Tasmanian women with the skills needed to serve as a Company Director and as members of government boards and committees.
The State Government provides a scholarship program for women to undertake the AICD's Company Directors Course and Foundations of Directorship.
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. While these are being specifically targeted, the program remains open to all interested women to apply.
Scholarships for the Not-for-Profit Directors Course is also being offered for the first time, as a response to feedback from industry about how best to support women in these areas.
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.
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
Applications for the Program are now open and close on Monday 9 December 2019.
Useful links and resources
Contact Communities, Sport and Recreation (CSR)
Phone: 03 6165 8388
Toll-free phone: 1800 204 224
Fax: 03 6173 0257
Email: csr@communities.tas.gov.au
View the full contact details for CSR, including our North and North-West regional offices.
If you are deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired, you can contact us through the National Relay Service:
- TTY users phone 133 677, then ask for 03 6165 8388
- Speak and Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 03 6165 8388
- Internet relay users connect to the NRS www.relayservice.gov.au then ask for 03 6165 8388