The ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Women provides strategic advice to the ACT Government on issues affecting women in the ACT. It also provides a link between the Minister for Women and women in the ACT community.
The work of the Council reflects the objectives of the ACT Women's Plan. Through consultation with women, women's groups and community organisations in the ACT, the Council monitors progress of achievements towards the objectives of the Plan.
The Council welcomes input on issues affecting women and girls in the ACT Community.
Membership
Terms of Reference
2010 Meeting Schedule
Current Focus Areas
Publications
Media Releases
Contact
On 1 July 2008, the Minister for Women appointed a new 14 member Advisory Council on Women. The new Council brings together women with a diversity of experience and expertise to assist the Government develop and implement policies that are relevant to women in the ACT.
The Council represents a wide range of women's views and is a valuable link between ACT women and the ACT Government.
Louise Taylor - Chair
Fiona Webster - Deputy Chair
Gwendolyn Gray
Kiki Korpinen
Lyndal Ryan
Melanie Stutsel
Manja Visschedijk
Emma Robertson
Kerry Snell
Lydia George
Paula Mc Grady
Louise Taylor (Chair)Louise Taylor is an Aboriginal (Kamilaroi) woman originally hailing from Sydney who has called Canberra home for the last 15 years. Louise has a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University. Louise has worked primarily as a criminal lawyer in the ACT. For most of her career Louise has been employed as a prosecutor at the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions. In addition to general prosecuting work Louise performed the role of specialist Family Violence Prosecutor for some 4 years under the auspices of the ACT Family Violence Intervention Program. Louise is now Practice Manager at the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions.
Louise is a long time member and Convenor of the Management Committee of the ACT Women’s Legal Centre. Louise is also on the editorial board of the Indigenous Law Bulletin. Louise has a strong interest in access to justice for women, particularly for Indigenous and other marginalised women and is currently involved in a research project with Indigenous Law Centre (University of NSW) exploring sexual violence and Indigenous women. Louise was the recipient of the 2009 ACT International Women’s Day award and is a mother of two.
Fiona Webster (Deputy Chair)Fiona Webster has lived in Canberra since beginning university in 1990, completing her PhD in philosophy at the Australian National University in 1997. Issues surrounding gender have been a central focus of her personal, academic and professional life, and she has a strong and ongoing commitment to the advancement of women.
Over the course of the last 13 years, she has worked as an editor and writer, spent two extended periods of time living overseas (in Tokyo and Berlin) and, in between, worked in the Arts Division of the former Commonwealth Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
She has since returned to the ANU and is now a School Visitor at the School of Philosophy, and a writer. At ANU, she facilitates a writing and support group for women in philosophy, a discipline which for many reasons has suffered particularly badly from a deficit of women. Her primary areas of interest are in women’s education, women’s health and well being, and in the critical issues of balancing work and family life, promoting affordable and accessible child care, and providing paid parental leave.
Gwendolyn GrayGwendolyn Gray has a PhD in political science and public policy from the Australian National University, where she is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Political Science. She has taught, researched and written on Australian and international health and welfare policies, with a special focus on the way policies affect women, for the last 25 years. She also researches and writes on federal systems of government.
Her publications include "Federalism and Health Policy", University of Toronto Press, 1991, a comparative study health policy development in Canada and Australia, and "The Politics of Medicare", University of New South Wales Press, 2004. She is currently working on a book chapter comparing the women's health movements in Australia and Canada and a book on the development and decline of the Australian National Women's Health Policy.
Articles in progress include the place of ethical values in health policy and problems with theories of federalism. Her most recent article is "Women, Federalism and Women Friendly Policies", published in the Australian Journal of Public Administration, volume 65, number 1, 2006.
She is an executive member of Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT and of Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia, a former Convenor of the Australian Women's Health Network and currently, Deputy Convener and a long-time member of the Women's Electoral Lobby.
Kiki KorpinenKiki Korpinen has worked in the ACT Community Sector for over 10 years, and has held a number of positions - both management and direct service delivery, in services focusing primarily on issues impacting on marginalised and disadvantaged communities. Kiki has an in depth understanding of social justice issues in the ACT and has a strong commitment to supporting and advocating for increased opportunities in order for people to make positive life changes. She has successfully expanded service provision and organisations to build capacity to better meet the needs of women in the ACT.
Kiki is an active community sector member and sits on a range of community and government committees, reference groups and networks. She is continuously keeping issues impacting on marginalised and disadvantaged groups on the agenda, and through this process informs policy and legislation makers, with the aim of improving outcomes for marginalised and disadvantaged people of the ACT.
Kiki has a Grad Dip in Social Science from the University of Western Sydney and is currently completing a MBA at the University of Canberra.
Lyndal RyanLyndal Ryan is the ACT Branch Secretary of the LHMU. Lyndal has spent the past 20 years working with women, particularly migrant women, to improve conditions for workers in the areas covered by her union. Lyndal is a part of the national leadership team of her union and has held a number of leadership roles within the LHMU and broader union movement.
The LHMU covers many of the low paid service workers who work in Canberra's private sector. Lyndal has worked with her members to achieve an industrial award for family day care workers and portability of long service leave for the cleaning industry.
"I learnt about women's issues through my involvement with my Union and I believe Union's play an important role in providing workers with information and an opportunities to build collective power. My values are my Unions values - Fairness, Compassion and Equity."
Melanie StutselIn her role as Director - Environmental and Social Policy at the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), Melanie is responsible for the provision of policy and scientific advice on issues relating to the environmental and social management of the Australian minerals industry's operations both domestically and overseas.
In her role at the MCA, Melanie has been responsible for the establishment of a national program on Women and Mining. Focusing on the identification and implementation of strategies to address the structural and cultural impediments to women working in the minerals industry and engaging with its operations, the overall objective is to develop an industry agenda to substantially improve, over five years, the engagement of women in the minerals industry and the communities in which the industry operates.
Melanie has also progressed these activities internally within the MCA through the development of a paid maternity leave scheme for employees.
With qualifications in resource management and environmental science, Melanie worked as Senior Adviser - Environment and Heritage to the Federal Opposition, prior to joining the Minerals Council of Australia in April 2000. Melanie has also sat on the Board for the Australian Centre for Mining Environmental Research, is a member of the program advisory committee of the University of Queensland Graduate program on social competencies in the minerals industry, and represents the Minerals Council of Australia in a broad range of fora including technical working groups, government advisory groups and various task forces of the International Council on Mining and Metals.
"My particular areas of interest are countering the barriers and stereotypes of women working in non-traditional industries, and the gendered impacts of public policy. Balancing work and family issues is another area in which I am passionate, and with a small child and a hectic work life, is also a personal challenge".
Manja VisschedijkManja Visschedijk has worked in youth, women's and community services since 1977. Her roles and responsibilities have spanned those of direct service work through to senior management. Her commitment to the advancement of women has been a constant theme throughout her paid work history, in her membership of a range of committees, as well as in her family roles.
This history is both a reflection of, and a continuing inspiration for, a strong commitment to continue raising awareness within the broader community of the enormous value of women's contribution to the economic, social, and emotional wellbeing of our community, and to endeavour to ensure that this work is valued, both financially and socially, as well as more formally in public forums.
Her current role as Director of Community Services with the YWCA of Canberra provides her with oversight of Community Development, Youth, Housing and Family Support services, enabling her to stay in touch with current and emerging issues for women in the ACT, such as: Homelessness; Affordable housing; Affordable, accessible and quality childcare; Paid parental leave; Carers issues; Stopping violence against women; Women and Family court issues; Women and prisons issues; Health and Mental health issues. Manja was awarded an ACT government Women's Award in March 2008 in recognition of her efforts in making a difference for women in the ACT.
Emma Robertson
Kerry SnellKerry is currently Coordinator of the Consumer Representative Program at Health Care Consumers ACT. She is originally from Queensland and has lived in the ACT for more than 8 years. Kerry has taught in Adult Education and had extensive experience as a primary teacher and a teacher librarian both here and overseas. She is currently completing a Post graduate qualification in Psychology. Kerry has held many voluntary board positions including on the Canberra Theatre Advisory Board, Canberra Blind Society, a School Board and ACT P & C Council.
Lydia George graduated from the University of Technology in 1992 with a BA Degree in (Communications) majoring in Journalism and Socio-Political Science. She subsequently studied for a master degree in Community Nutrition at the University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine, International Tropical Health and Nutrition Program in 1996.
Lydia is member of the South Canberra Seventh Day Adventist Church and was a Senior Deaconess Leader in Women’s Ministry and Leadership for nine years. She is an active volunteer in the Canberra community. Her many roles have included working as a St. John’s Ambulance Volunteer and a volunteer with the Canberra soup kitchen.
Lydia is a member of a number of committees including the Housing ACT Joint Champion Group Committee for Community Capacity for Public Housing Tenants (2007- present) and was a member of the National Indigenous Arts Reference Group to the Aboriginal Council for the Arts (2007-2010). She is a Director on the ACT Torres Strait Islander Corporation and affiliates support to the NSW Lagau Kodo Mir Torres Strait Islander Community Organisation. Lydia is a traditional Torres Strait Islander Family Customary Adoptions Advocate or
Kupai Omasker. She generously shares her love of storytelling, weaving and songs from the Torres Strait Islands.
Lydia has spent many years advocating for the preservation of Torres Strait Islander Culture and for the health and wellbeing of Torres Strait Islander and Indigenous Australians, refugees and women from multicultural backgrounds. She is a strong advocate for human rights issues and the empowerment of women and girls.
Paula McGrady is a proud Kamilaroi woman from north western NSW and has a huge family base from Moree and Boggabilla.
Since 2005, Paula has worked as the Indigenous Support worker at Doris Women and Children’s Refuge in Canberra where she supports Indigenous and non Indigenous women and children who are either escaping domestic violence or who have left domestic and/or family violence. She has many years of experience working in the areas of domestic and/or family violence, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual abuse and homelessness both in Canberra and NSW.
In 2009 and 2010, Paula attended the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Gathering as an ACT delegate. In this role she voiced issues and concerns of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Paula is currently studying for a Diploma in Counselling and is working towards a Bachelor of Health Science in Mental Health at Charles Sturt University.
ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Women - Terms of Reference
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Wednesday 22 June 2011
Wednesday 3 August 2011
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Wednesday 1 December 2011
The Council is keen to ensure that it maintains its strengths and is able to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
An Action Plan for 2008 - 2009 has been developed with the key theme being to settle the Council into its role and to place it in a position to be an effective advocate for the women of the ACT community.
To this end the actions planned for 2008 - 2009 are (not in order of priority):
MACW Key achievements for 2008-09 [RTF 77KB]
MACW Key achievements for 2008-09 [PDF 23KB]
MACW 2010-11 Budget Submission [RTF 105KB]
MACW 2010-11 Budget Submission [PDF 138KB]
MACW Submission to the Women's Plan (November 2009) [RTF 248KB]
MACW Submission to the Women's Plan (November 2009 [PDF 314KB]
On 30 August 2006, as part of the Government's commitment to ongoing consultation with women, the Ministerial Advisory Council on Women hosted the inaugural ACT Women's Summit.
The Summit was a roundtable meeting of twenty-five representatives from ACT community organisations and ACT Government agencies aimed at providing input into the Government's agenda and future policy directions for women in the ACT.
MACW Roundtable ACT Women's Health and Wellbeing Report [RTF 2.92MB]
MACW Roundtable ACT Women's Health and Wellbeing Report [PDF 156KB]
August 2006 ACT Women's Summit paper [RTF 198KB]
August 2006 ACT Women's Summit paper [PDF 162KB]
Affordable Housing for Women 4 April 2007 [RTF 137KB]
Affordable Housing for Women 4 April 2007 [PDF 79KB]
Preventing Violence against Women 7 February 2007 [RTF 65KB]
Preventing Violence against Women 7 February 2007 [PDF 80KB]
November 2008
Have your say on paid parental leave
February 2007
Round Table on Violence against Women in the ACT
Secretariat
ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Women
C/- ACT Office for Women
GPO Box 158
Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: 02 6207 2552
Email: women@act.gov.au
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Last Modified: 14 December, 2011
