Media Releases by the former Minister the Hon Julie Bishop MP
The Hon Julie Bishop MP was the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues between 28 January 2007 and 3 December 2007.
Archived Media Releases
Decade of Achievements for Australian Women
Released: 12 September 2007
Released by: Former Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women’s Issues – Julie Bishop
The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues, the Hon Julie Bishop, today released the Decade of Achievements for Australian Women, a publication cataloguing the considerable progress and achievements that have been made to enhance the lives of women.
“Australia is ranked by the United Nations in the top 10 countries for the development and empowerment of women and this publication illustrates how the Government has been working to address the key areas for women in health, ageing, families, safety, leadership, education and workforce participation,” Minister Bishop said.
“The Howard Government has actively supported women through policies, strategies, services and benefits that have been specifically designed to strengthen the legal, economic, social, cultural and political dimensions of women’s lives.”
Key achievements include:
- Quality child care - an essential element in the Government’s commitment to promote the wellbeing of Australian families with young children. The Government helps women participate in the social and economic life of the community by supporting child care services, including assisting with the cost of care.
- Greater flexibility in the workforce - facilitating women to choose how to balance their work and family commitments. In May 2007, almost 4.7 million women were in employment, the highest level on record.
- Higher education - more women than men now go to university and graduate with Bachelor degrees and women are taking on leadership roles in all areas of the community.
- Improved health - successful cervical cancer screening programs have contributed to Australia’s cervical cancer rate steadily declining. It is now well below other developed countries.
"The Australian Government will continue to build on the gains of the last decade to enhance the well-being of women,” Minister Bishop said.
Copies of Decade of Achievements for Australian Women can be obtained from www.ofw.fahcsia.gov.au/publications or by phoning 02 62691000.