ISO: AUS *************************************************************************** The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Secretariat. *************************************************************************** AS WRITTEN SPEECH BY THE HON. DR CARMEN LAWRENCE MP MINISTER ASSISTING THE PRIME MINISTER FOR THE STATUS OF WOMEN PRESENTATION OF AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL COMMITMENTS TO WOMEN FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN BEIJING, SEPTEMBER 6, 1995 Madam Chair, Excellencies, and Distinguished Delegates. I am extremely proud to represent the women of Australia at this Conference because, as many of you would know, it was Australia that initiated the idea that this should be a "Conference of Commitments". The women of Australia want to see the work of the UN become more focused, pragmatic and concrete and we are delighted that the concept of Governments making 0 practical, achievable promises to improve the status of women has been well and truly embraced - not only by women but by Governments. I would like to congratulate all the delegations that have seized this opportunity to improve the status of the women of their nations. May I also applaud the United Nations. In endorsing the Conference of Commitments proposal, the United Nations has shown that it is open to reform - that it will accommodate new ideas and new ways of achieving real change. Madam Chair, Australia believes that a Conference of Commitments will avoid what happened after Nairobi. I'm sure many of you would agree that the lengthy document which emerged from the Nairobi conference failed to achieve the progress that we all desired. It gave Governments too much choice with the result that many countries took little or no action to improve the status of women over the last 10 years. We must avoid repeating this mistake. We must make this conference relevant to the lives of women in each of our countries and by focusing on key strategic areas, each of us can make a real difference. But we don't have long. There are only five more years till the end of the century. We must accelerate our action for change. We must ensure that when, at the next conference, we reflect on the decade that has passed, that we are celebrating the conclusion of a decade of real reform. Madam Chair, I am delighted that this Conference has forced Australia to examine what still needs to be done to ensure Australian women achieve equal status with our male colleagues, partners and friends. The lead up to this conference has been a time for both the Governments and people of Australia to take stock of the past and prepare for the future - to envision what kind of nation we want for the next century. We have had cause to celebrate all that we have achieved and how far we have come because Australian women have come a long way in the last 10 years. A report released recently by the UN Development Program ranked Australia 6th out of 130 countries on a range of criteria including women's share of income and participation in education. Through tougher anti-discrimination laws, better education, a more flexible industrial system, real increases in family assistance paid to women, the establishment of a national women's health program, and a huge boost to child care, we have achieved real improvements in the status of women. Since 1980, life expectancy at birth for Australian women has increased from just over 78 years to nearly 81 years in 1993. Women's total earnings are now 84 per cent of men's for full-time workers. More than 81 per cent of girls now complete the final year of high school - that is twice the rate of I S years ago. Also, some 53 per cent of university students are now women. Australia was also one of the first countries to sign the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This led to the landmark Sex Discrimination Act of 1984 (which we are now upgrading) and the Affirmative Action Act of 1986. Australia is also the first country in the world to develop national strategy on women and the new information technologies. Australian women have told us in the lead up to this Conference that they now have more freedom, more choices and more opportunities. They also have higher expectations of what they can achieve. That is why the Australian Government is not complacent about our achievements. The Commitments I am announcing here today will ensure we build on this strong foundation. They will ensure that as a nation, we continue the reform agenda. In this, the Australian Government has a direct mandate from the women of Australia. Our commitments have not been plucked out of thin-air - they are the result of extensive community consultations with women's organisations and with individual women. From this dialogue four priorities emerged: the difficulty women face balancing work and family responsibilities; a fear of violence; health; and the need for more women to enter public life and assume the decision making positions. On the basis of this information we offer commitments on six of the eleven critical areas of concern identified in the Conference's draft Platform for Action. The first area of critical concern is The Contribution of Women to Economic Structures, Paid and Unpaid Work. As I have previously mentioned, we have made real advances in the workplaces of Australian women, but there is still some way to go before women can claim equity. We have already established what we call Working Women's Centers in some of our States. These centres play a key role in achieving equity by providing women with information and assistance on pay, working conditions and industrial rights. As part of our commitment to assisting working women the Government will extend the Working Women's Centres to all Australian states. The Australian Government is also committed to ensuring that all Australians obtain the benefits of new information technologies. Accordingly the Prime Minister's National Information Services Council has been asked to develop advice on proposals which ensure that all women have access to these services, especially those in rural and remote communities. The Council will also examine ways in which we can ensure that the new information technologies take account of the needs of women who work at home. A Task Force on Women and Communications Technologies will be extended to ensure that the contribution and participation of women in the development of these new technologies is also maximised. The second area of critical concern is Violence Against Women. Compared to many parts of the world, Australia is fortunate to be a fairly safe place to live. However, many women still live in fear of violence, even in their own homes. Most Australians recognise that the solution to reducing violence is not simply to introduce tougher laws and harsher penalties. Australians recognise that education must be given priority. Consequently the Government will contribute to the development of a national approach for our schools to address the issue of violence. The Australian Government will also join international efforts to develop an integrated approach to stopping violence against women. Such projects have been successful in Hamilton, New Zealand and Duluth, USA. They've shown that integrated community approaches can lead to a lower incidence of violence, particularly in the number of repeat offenders. Protocols will be developed to enable police, lawyers, courts, community and government agencies to co-ordinate their responses to the problem. The third area of critical concern is Women in Power and Decision-Making at all levels. To promote women’s participation in public-life and decision-making the Government will help establish a national peak body of women in business. The Australian Council of Businesswomen will strengthen the voice of women in business to Governments, the media and the community as a whole. The Government will also encourage the advancement of women in the private sector by joining with Australia's major business organisations to develop a three-year initiative aimed at increasing the number of women on private sector company boards. The fourth area of critical concern is Health Care and Related Services. Australia has led the world in developing a number of innovative health programs for women, such as national breast screening and cervical cancer screening. However indigenous women in Australia continue to suffer much poorer health than the general population. The Australian Government is committed to addressing this inequality and will introduce a new health program specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women. It will focus on preventing ill health by promoting regular health checks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and children. The Government will work with our indigenous communities to employ teams of indigenous health workers, medical practitioners, women's health nurses, midwives, child health nurses and other health professionals. The fifth area of critical concern is Mechanisms to Promote the Advancement of Women Australia is very conscious of its responsibilities as a principle player in the Asia-Pacific region and is keen to support the reform efforts of our neighboring countries. To that end, we will provide funds to groups and organisations representing women in Pacific Island nations to assist them in implementing the commitments that arise from this Conference. Madam Chair, these commitments won't be the last the Government makes to the women of Australia. We recognise that improving the status of women makes our nation stronger. It means more equitable workplaces, stronger families and a brighter future for us all. I urge all delegations to embrace the challenges and opportunities of improving the status of women. May I also urge delegations to acknowledge and fight against the forces that would seek to undermine this. This conference is, in part, about the world community accepting the fundamental nature of individual and collective security. That security can only be achieved if we work towards - not against - a nuclear free world. Madam Chair, that effort is being breached by some nations represented at this Conference. Indeed, delegates would be aware that a nuclear device was detonated in the South Pacific this morning. Australia deplores continued nuclear testing. We believe the dangers testing pose can not and must not be ignored. The threat to health, to the environment and to world peace is real and it's an issue integral to this Conference's Platform for Action. Women's rights are human rights, universal and indivisible but these rights are being breached by China and France. I urge the delegations of these two nations to commit to bringing about an end to this abuse - not only to advance the status and well being of their countrywomen, but also of women worldwide. Thank you.