4 July 1976
PRIME. MINISTER
CO-ORDINATION IN WOMIEN'S AFFAIRS
The Prime Minister announced today that he is
proposing to establish formal machinery for the co-ordination
of Federal Government activity in women' s affairs.
Earlier this year he wrote to the Ministers for
Aboriginal Affairs; Education; Environment, Housing and
Community Development; Health; -Social ; Se-curity and the
Attorney-General asking that they consider setting up units
within their Departments to give proper consideration to
women' s issues. More recently he has written in the same
vein to the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.
Several Ministers have now followed up the Prime
Minister's suggestion, in keeping with the Government' s
policy that the special concerns of women equality of
opportunity, freedom from discrimination, eqlual status in
society should be stressed within the framework of
individual policy areas.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the units could
be comprised of existing Departmental officers.
With the generally favourable response, the Prime
Minister considers it timely to initiate more formal
consultations betwieen interested Departments, and is moving
towards the establishment of an interdepartmental working
group on women's affairs.
It is expected that participating Departments and
authorities will include those with well-established units as
wvell as those who are now in the process of setting units up.
Departments with special functions relating to women's affairs
would also be inv&' -yed.
2.
I will also shortly be making a further announcement
about consultations that will be proposed with a
wide range of women's groups throughout Australia
with the objective of establishing a Womens Advisory
* Committee. 00 0o0o0o 0