Paying tribute to the best of our women

Celebrating is just one way we’re working on equality,

THE Hodgman Liberal Government’s vision is for a more inclusive Tasmania that empowers and enables women and girls to fully participate in our economic, social, political and community life.

Tasmanian women make an exceptional contribution to our community which is why it is so important we recognise their efforts and celebrate their often untold stories.

The Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2005 to publicly and officially recognise, record and commemorate these extraordinary Tasmanian women and women’s organisations.

With nominations closing on September 28, now is the time for Tasmanians to nominate exceptional women and women’s organisations who have served their community and made an impact at a local, state, national or international level.

The Honour Roll preserves the stories and achievements of Tasmanian women as historical records that inspire future generations to come, and gives every Tasmanian the chance to discover more about the contributions and achievements of Tasmanian women, past and present.

All of the women who have been inducted onto the Honour Roll have made significant and long-lasting changes in their communities or their professional environment.

Inductees have included scientists, nurses, activists, artists, authors, business women and other hardworking professionals and volunteers.

These women have given hope to others through community or professional work, shaped public opinion and policy, or have been leaders in their chosen industry or field.

The Honour Roll is a key part of the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to empowering and promoting women’s accomplishments, while ensuring their achievements are never forgotten.

It’s just one of the ways we are building on our vision for a more inclusive Tasmania.

The Government is also committed to policies and actions that increase financial security, leadership and participation, safety, health and wellbeing and gender equity for women and girls.

This year I released the Tasmanian Women’s Strategy 2018-2021, which builds upon achievements under the Tasmanian Women’s Plan 2013-2018.

Since the release of the previous plan, we have witnessed significant progress towards gender equity, including women’s representation on all government boards and committees increasing from 33 per cent in July 2015 to 41.2 per cent in June this year.

Additionally, 53 per cent of government business enterprise directors are women and 43 per cent of state-owned company directors are women.

The 2018/19 Budget included $75,000 for a workforce development plan with a focus on encouraging more women to work in IT, $120,000 over four years to support Tasmanian Women in Agriculture to connect, support and celebrate rural women, $10 million to build more sporting facilities for women and girls and an extra $20.2 million to tackle family violence, including a new sexual violence action plan.

These commitments will help ensure we empower and equip more women and girls to reach their potential.

The successful inductees to the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women will be announced on March 15, 2019, during the month that celebrates women and girls, including International Women’s Day.

The ceremony is always inspirational, and I look forward to congratulating and seeing these amazing women and women’s organisations being honoured and acknowledged for their outstanding contributions to Tasmania.