Academic Innovation and Collaboration a Key…Thank you Salisbury and South Australians….30 November 2007

Today we visited the Centre for Work + Life (http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/default.asp), a part of the Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies at the University of South Australia. It is a national research centre that investigates work and its intersection with household, family, community and social life in Australia. The Centre for Work + Life aims to generate innovative thinking about work and life in Australia.

We discussed a range of research projects being undertaken and noted the national fragmentation of research in this area. With many talented academics contribute to the research framework, the Centre is working on expanding a more coherent research capacity that can feed into public policy across the nation. We could see the clear benefits of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner also adopting a clear, transparent research agenda as part of my 5 year plan. This would allow academics to see where we are heading and engage with us at an earlier stage.

We also discussed a recent, progressive report by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (the equivalent of the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission) called “Enter the timelords : Transforming work to meet the future” http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/Documents/Gender/Formal%20investigations/EOC%20Transformation%20of%20work%20Formal%20investigation.pdf . The Report found that, in the UK:

“Half the workforce wants to work more flexible hours …research revealed 6.5 million people, including 2.9 million graduates, are not fully using their skills and experience at work and would have made different choices if flexible working had been available. Belying the assumption that flexible working is only for those with caring responsibilities, only 2.9 million are parents and 3.6 million non-parents…This waste to talent can’t continue if our economy is to survive the challenges or wider competition in global markets. Creative new ways of working would enable this ‘lost’ generation of workers to use their skills in ways that they want and the economy needs.”

Sound familiar? Definitely worth a read.

From there we travelled to Salisbury, a satellite city of Adelaide, for our final public consultation in South Australia. There was continuing support for a program of federally funded paid maternity leave, one that would be a nil cost to small business. Other themes included the challenge of child care, diverse desires and aspirations of women and their families, and the extent to which women really do have choice about how they play their futures in terms of economic independence.

We have learnt much from our week in South Australia. Importantly we have learnt that our second theme “balancing work and family across the life cycle” is very much on the South Australian state government agenda.

This is demonstrated by the following initiatives:·

* targets for women in leadership set out in the State Strategic Plan http://www.stateplan.sa.gov.au/

* work of the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on Balancing Work and Life Responsibilities (chaired by Grace Portolisi) http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/Committees/Select/HA/51/BalancingWorkandLifeResponsibilities/

* Safework SA’s work life balance project managed by Michelle Hogan http://www.premcab.sa.gov.au/pdf/news/2007sep20_womenvaluable.pdf·

* Office for Women’s online gender equality indicators http://www.aisr.adelaide.edu.au/gio/ .

Over the week we have been inspired by people’s stories and the work that is being done in NGOs, academics, businesses and government authorities. The issue of achieving gender equality is alive and well in South Australia.

Let’s keep it that way!

That’s all for now. See you in New South Wales where we hold our first public consultation in that state on Tuesday evening 4 December at 6pm at the Wesley Centre, Pitt St, Sydney.

Liz