Push for establishment of register of women in SMEs to encourage more female directors

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has recommended to the Federal Government the establishment of a national register of women in SMEs who could be considered candidates for appointments to senior corporate boards.

But Jaye Radisich, chief executive of the Council of Small Businesses of Australia, says the creation of a national register would be a duplication of services already in existence.

“The principle is worthwhile, there is clearly a lack of women on boards in government and in private businesses, and any experienced women in SMEs or other parts of the community should be encouraged to be nominated or nominate themselves for these positions.”

“However, it seems that creating a register for this purpose is a duplication of existing services and is an inefficient use of government resources. Women wanting to join boards can do so through organisations such as Woman On Boards, and the already existing government register. To create a separate register is just duplicating existing services.

As part of the submission process to the Review of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act, ACCI has recommended the state Chambers of Commerce and Industry and various industry associations investigate the creation of such a register.

ACCI chief executive Peter Anderson said in a statement the Government should do all it can to help women advance their positions in corporate boards.

“While the number of women in senior management positions in major companies is not high, there is an enormous pool of talented women entrepreneurs who have owned and operated their own businesses. Bridging the gap between these women and large business in the corporate sector is a challenge we should set ourselves as a nation. If talented women with business acumen are available to serve the corporate sector, then that talent should be harnessed.”

“Chambers of commerce and industry and industry associations have close and established links with women in small and medium business. There is scope for the Government to work with business organisations and fund a program which can make a difference to women’s participation, without the need for regulation or quotas.”

In its submission, ACCI wrote the business community supports equal opportunity measures and recommends a mixture of both regulation and education for increasing women’s participation in the workforce.

But it also warned against creating “counterproductive” approaches such as setting quotas that must be filled by women, and said any reform should identify any barriers that exist prohibiting women from entering the workforce or advancing.

“While most employers have successfully implemented various equality measures, including in the areas of anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, promotion of women and family friend initiatives, often on a voluntary basis, this has not been done without imposing significant costs and challenges for employers and employees,” it stated.

“While employers generally support initiatives to harmonise or simplify existing laws applying to employers, the content as opposed to the form they take, and the extent of the obligations they impose on employers, will be more relevant to business.”

The submission also noted that reforms to the Equal Opportunity Act must address discrepancies in salary packages, and that a review of the Fair Work Act must be undertaken to determine if it is impacting women’s access to flexible agreements.

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