Toward Gender Parity: Women on Boards Initiative

⁠⁠⁠The Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (the Department) is seeking to appoint a qualified supplier to deliver the Toward Gender Parity: Women on Boards Initiative over three years.

This is a departmental commitment under the Queensland Women’s Strategy (QWS). The initiative includes activities to be delivered internally by the Department’s Office for Women as well as outsourced service delivery. These activities support and enable action to be taken by industry, the private sector, non-government agencies and the community sector.

The services are intended to support capacity building for women to enable participation and leadership. They include a targeted approach for building a talent pool, and providing the support required to attract, prepare and retain suitable women for significant government appointments.

To ensure alignment with the whole-of-community implementation plan, this project will be managed by the Department and an Advisory Committee established by the Office for Women to provide advice on the implementation and delivery of the initiative. The Advisory Committee will ensure clear communication, advice and clarification of any significant issues that may bear on the delivery of the milestones.

The initiative will be delivered over three years to facilitate a talent pipeline with short, medium and long term outcomes for achieving gender equality targets in priority sectors.

In July 2015 Government endorsed new gender equity targets to support increased representation by women on Queensland government bodies including:
* 50 per cent of all new board appointees to Queensland Government bodies to be women
* 50 per cent representation of women on Queensland Government bodies by 2020

The targets are one element of a suite of ‘Women on Boards’ initiatives aimed at increasing women’s representation on government bodies, as well as working in partnership and engaging with the private and not for profit sector to increase numbers of women on business and community boards.

Service delivery requirements will complement the internal work carried out by the Department and are listed below:
* Research
Research and a literature review will contribute to ensuring barriers to women’s equality is understood and best practice strategies are implemented to maximise outcomes. This will inform contract work plans and future initiatives, building on existing evidence related to women’s participation and leadership, barriers to gender equality and strategies that contribute to achieving gender equality targets.

* Gender equality action plans - Government boards and bodies, non-government organisations and the private sector
Resources will be developed to support boards across industry, the private sector, government and non-government organisations to establish gender equality action plans. Boards will be supported to implement their gender equality action plans, particularly where it will facilitate achievement of government targets.

* Mentoring, work shadowing and networks
Mentoring and shadowing schemes will be established and/or enhanced across industry, the private sector, government and non-government organisations to facilitate progression of women into leadership positions and participation on government boards and bodies across a range of industries. This will occur in partnership with relevant industry associations and networks to facilitate a whole of community approach.

* Education/Training
Women will be connected with relevant education and training opportunities including bursaries and scholarships to support board readiness in mid-career and advanced career stages to increase the pool of skilled candidates that can meet board selection criteria.

* Promotional resources to contribute to a Department led campaign
Resources will be developed to support the department’s promotional campaign including collateral such as videos, case studies, articles and materials aimed at target sectors.

Note: An independent evaluation will be undertaken to help assess whether the program is on track and doing the right things to achieve its objectives.