Gender equality
John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (10:05): Following on from my notice of motion earlier this morning, I rise today to pay tribute to the work the Andrews Labor government has done to support women. It was only recently, in April this year, that a new world-first exhibition, Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion, which celebrates trailblazing women of cinema, opened at ACMI due to the support of our government. In 2021 our government created a landmark $1 million fund to improve the public’s recognition of women leaders, because only nine of the 580 statues in Victoria are of women. Our Jobs Victoria women-in-warehousing program has addressed a critical skills shortage in the sector while providing more than 200 women aged 45 and over with a new career. We are tearing down the barriers faced by women in traditionally male-dominated careers – think plumbing, electrical and aviation – with our $5 million Women in Apprenticeships fund, whose first 10 initiatives will support at least 615 women in apprenticeships. We recognise women face a disproportionate risk of homelessness, and that is why we have embarked on our Big Housing Build, with one example being a former Fairfield rooming house transformed into a 38-bed self-contained modern home for women in need, thanks to $3.3 million in government funding. And of course there is the $23 million investment to install 1500 free sanitary product dispensing machines in up to 700 public sites. I am proud to be a member of a government that supports women.