Significant Achievements

Research and Policy

Paid work and family responsibilities

Striking the Balance project

On 22 June 2005, the Commissioner launched the Striking the Balance: Women, men, work and family Discussion Paper. Since the launch, the Sex Discrimination Unit (SDU) has held a total of 37 consultations and focus groups around Australia. Employees, employer groups, unions, men’s and women’s community groups and other interested individuals expressed their thoughts and experiences of combining paid work and family responsibilities. The SDU has also received 181 written submissions from individuals and groups which included employers, employer groups, unions, women’s and men’s community groups, academics, legal groups, and State, Territory and federal Governments and agencies. A roundtable meeting was conducted in January 2006 with advisory panel members from relevant academic, industry and community fields to inform the development of a final Striking the Balance paper.

The SDU is currently drawing on these submissions, consultations and roundtable discussions to complete the final stage of the Striking the Balance project.

Research Benchmarking Women’s Wages and Conditions

On behalf of the Commission, the SDU teamed up with the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) and the Women’s Electoral Lobby Australia (WEL) in June 2006 to undertake research into the current position of Australian women in the workforce. The research is to provide comprehensive data about women’s pay and conditions to enable researchers and policy makers to monitor women’s progress in paid work. The research will be competed by October 2006.

ARC linkage project ‘Parental Leave in Australia’

The SDU, on behalf of the Commission, is an industry partner to the Australian Research Council (ARC) linkage project ‘Parental Leave in Australia: Access, utilisation and efficacy’. The project aims to provide benchmark information on access to, and utilisation of, parental leave in Australia; identify parents’ preferences and unmet needs for parental leave; and assess broader implications for gender equality. Lead researchers are Dr Gillian Whitehouse and Dr Marian Baird.

An initial analysis of the research and a progress report were presented at a forum organised by the Commission as part of its in-kind support, held on 18 May 2006. Approximately 25 people attended the forum including academics, Commonwealth government officers, employer groups, legal practitioners, representatives from community legal centres and representatives from women’s groups and NGOs.

ARC linkage project ‘Impact of Parents’ Employment on Children’s Well-being’

The SDU, on behalf of the Commission, is an industry partner to the ARC linkage project ‘Impact of Parents’ Employment on Children’s Well-being: The influence of employment quality, time and activities with children, and parenting practices.’

Lead investigators are Dr Michael Bittman, Dr Jan Nicholson and Dr Lyndall Strazdins. Other industry partners are the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People, the Queensland Office for Women, the NSW Commission for Children and Young People.
The SDU has attended meetings with the investigators and industry partners in February and June 2006 at which preliminary findings were presented and discussed.

ARC linkage project ‘Australia’s response to Trafficking in Women’

The SDU, on behalf of the Commission, is an industry partner to an ARC Linkage project ‘Australia’s response to Trafficking in Women: Towards a model for regulation of forced migration in the Asia Pacific Region’. The project is investigating gaps in Australia’s legal and policy response to trafficking in women.

Lead investigators are Professor Bernadette McSherry, Associate Professor Susan Kneebone and Dr Julie Debeljak. Other industry partners are ACIL Australia Pty Ltd, the federal Attorney General’s Department and World Vision Australia. The research is progressing.

Education and Promotion

Materials for Indigenous Women on Pregnancy and Work

Following a recommendation in the 1999 Commission report Pregnant and Productive: It’s a right not a privilege to work while pregnant, the SDU was requested by the federal Attorney-General’s Department to produce culturally specific education materials on pregnancy, potential pregnancy and breastfeeding discrimination in the workplace for Indigenous women.

The project was funded by the Attorney-General’s Department, the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination and the Office for Women and was carried out in partnership with the National Network of Indigenous Women’s Legal Services.
The materials consist of fact sheets about pregnancy and work and a brochure about unlawful discrimination and Indigenous women, including information on parental leave and returning to the workplace when children are very young. Following the launch, which is planned for late August 2006, the materials will be distributed to agencies including Aboriginal Legal and Medical Services, community legal services, Women’s Legal Services and relevant government agencies.

Judicial Awareness Raising

On 9 February 2006, the SDU, along with the President and the Director of the Legal Section, attended a meeting with the Committee Secretariat of the National Judicial College Consultative Committee. The Commission advised the Committee on the design of social and cultural awareness training for the judiciary and has agreed to continue discussions with the Committee on the relevant resources that it produces.

To inform its position on the matter, on 1 February 2006, the President and the SDU hosted a roundtable discussion on judicial responses to gender which informed the Commission’s position on gender issues and the law. The discussion was attended by academics, lawyers and community workers.