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Who Shapes How We See Our History?
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Introduction,
Ministerial Advisory Council For Women |
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| Gillian
Polack |
| Posted: 26
Feb - 07:06 am |
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Discussion Leader
Group: Discussion Leaders
Posts: 44
Member No.: 4
Joined: 21-February 03
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from
the Chair, Jacqui Pearce
MINISTERIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR WOMEN.
The Council comprises 16 women from the
ACT Community all of whom are passionate
about women's issues and have differing
areas of work and interest. A diversity
of women are represented on the Council
including indigenous women, women from
non-English speaking backgrounds, young
women. older women, women with disabilities
and women working in a range of different
sectors.
The Council's primary role is to provide advice to the Minister
for Women Katy Gallagher. Representatives from the Council meet
with her regularly. We are able to act autonomously from Government.
The Council has taken a lead role in providing input into the
development
of many strategies.
The Council has a number of working parties including in the
following areas: social, spatial, economic, underlying cultural
assumptions, communications/framework and strategic plan for
women in the ACT.
In July last year the Council membership changed with about 50
% new members. In early February we had a planning session to
set our directions for the next 12 months. In the last 12 months
a primary focus of Council has been to educate and influence
Treasury to ensure
that the needs of women are addressed in the budget process and
effective accountability mechanisms are implemented. We have
met with the CEOs of each department in order to gather information
on what
departments are currently doing for women and their future plans
for budget allocations.
The Office for Women provides secretariat support for the Council
which has enabled us to produce a number of significant submissions
and discussion papers e.g. Women and Representation, Economic
paper
A major barrier to the Council being able to effect a greater
influence on Government is a lack of resourcing . In our most
recent budget submission the issue of resourcing for boards and
Committees was raised particularly given the high numbers of
women sitting on voluntary boards.
The Ministerial Advisory Council on Women is interested to hear
from women and we welcome contact from members of the community.
If you would like more information contact Jacqui Pearce 62575377
or the ACT Office for Women .
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| ChristinaR |
| Posted: 02
Mar - 02:18 am |
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Member
Group: Members
Posts: 4
Member No.: 66
Joined: 27-February 04
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Hi,
my name is Christina Ryan. I sit on the Ministerial
Advisory Council on Women (MACW) representing
Women with Disabilities ACT (WWD ACT). We
are part of a national network of women with
disabilities organisations.
I have been sitting on the council for 2 years and in that time
have worked on leadership and representation, poverty and housing
issues, and economic independence for women amongst other things.
My particular work in the women’s movement has been around
CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). I specialise
in institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women which
is one of the 12 critical areas of concern in the BPFA. So, I
focus on the gendered implications of disability.
Also of concern to me is the gendered nature of poverty and disadvantage
and ways that we can systemically overcome this.
This is the third year that I have participated in a women’s
history month discussion forum.
Christina
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| Gillian
Polack |
| Posted: 06
Mar - 03:28 am |
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Discussion Leader
Group: Discussion Leaders
Posts: 44
Member No.: 4
Joined: 21-February 03
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I
am also part of the Ministerial Advisory
Council and yes, I am the same Gillian who
is part of the Bridging the Ivory Divide
discussion. On the Council I do things like
help work for cultural awarness (not awareness
of different ethnicities and their needs,
although that is important , but looking
at how government can reach beyond many of
the cultural assumptions that are made and
that limit and that can restrict so much
decision-making).
For me this discussion is part of that need for all of us to
know where we are coming from, in order to make sensible decisions
about where we are going.
History can be a great informant, and unacknowledged history
can be many chains holding us back. It is a great worry when
people assume that public decisions and public spaces are free
of history and the consequences of past actions. I have been
talking with students this week about the tendency for women
stil to be under-represented in archival holdings for instance,
because of quite old leagacies.
This discussion is an opportunity to air some of these past decisions
- to look them in the eye and find out where they have got us.
Some results may be hugely positive (the ACT has a Bil of Rights
- and it was a result of a long train of decisions) and others
might be negative. But until we talk about them, and make processes
and the past transparent, we can't praise or damn. What is more
important, is we can't take control of our own futures: this
is where women's history is not just the history of women. It
is for all of us.
Gillian (in political slogan mode) |
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