FOR MEDIA 29 FEBRUARY 1988
JOINT STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE MINISTER ASSISTING
THE PRIME MINISTER FOR THE STATUS OF WOMEN, SE14ATOR MARGARET
REYNOLDS. The Federal Government today released its Natidnal Agenda for
Women which sets out steps to advance the stat~ s of Australian
women to the year 2000.
For the first time in Australian history, a Go'~ ernment has made a
long term commitment to ensure that women can dxercise a real
choice about how they spend their lives and hov) they can
participate fully in Australian society.
This National Agenda for Women is one of the Government's most
significant and important achievements. Australia cannot meet
the challenges of the future if it does not allow the full and
equal participation of women in society. The Government is
committed to act where it can to remove barrierts to that
participation. The National Agenda for Women is the Government's response to the
views expressed by the women of Australia during the National
Agenda consultations of 1986. over 25,000 women from all walks
of life participated in the consultations.
The Agenda sets out specific action plans for the next five years
in those areas nominated by Australian women a~ t important, and
establishes general objectives to the year 2000i.
Strategies to increase the capacity of women to participate in
decision-making, to allow greater access to education, employment
and training, which acknowledge the work done by women in the
home, and which improve women's access to child care and other
community services are included in the Agenda.
The Government is also looking to consolidate its substantial
achievements in removing discrimination on the basis of sex, and
continuing recent initiatives in the areas of domestic violence
prevention, the portrayal of women in the media, housing and
health. 004669
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The Government will remove the overall exemption for sex and
marital status discrimination in superannuation funds and schemes
from the Sex Discrimination Act.
The major group of women who will benefit by an increase in the
availability of superannuation will be women in full-time
permanent employment who change jobs frequently or who take time
out from the paid workforce.
Financial security, particularly in retirement, is a serious
concern for women. Few women are covered by, or have access to,
adequate superannuation compared to men. Yet, women retire
earlier than men, are more likely to live longer, and to spend
part of their retirement single.
The Government is committed to providing women with a greater
access to superannuation.
The proposed legislation will be developed in consultation with
the superannuation industry and, once passed, will provide a
two-year transition period to enable necessary changes to be
made. It follows consideration of the report of the former Human Rights
Commission inquiry into discrimination in superannuation.
The Agenda is yet another step in the real advancement of the
status of women. The Government regards the National Agenda for
Women as a dynamic strategy which would need to be modified as
time passes, as achievements are realised and as new issues
arise. 004670