JMR WITH SKILLS MINISTER CASH AND MINISTER FOR WOMEN PAYNE
The Morrison Government is continuing to help skilled women across regional Australia get back into the workforce with a second intake of businesses in the Career Revive pilot initiative.
The initiative aims to increase women’s workforce participation by supporting businesses to attract and retain women returning to work after a career break.
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said the Morrison Government is committed to getting people back into work and rebuilding the economy in the wake of COVID-19.
“Increasing women’s workforce participation is an economic and social priority for Australia going forward,” Minister Cash said.
“This has wide-ranging benefits not just for women, but for their families, communities, business and our nation’s economy.”
Senator for Victoria Sarah Henderson said we are committed to boosting the confidence of women returning to paid work and their financial independence, as well as supporting businesses to retain skilled women workers.
“We know that when women do well both professionally and personally, our community, the economy and the nation as a whole prospers,” Senator Henderson said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, said we are committed to boosting the confidence of women returning to paid work and their financial independence, as well as supporting businesses to retain skilled women workers.
“This initiative is one of a range of measures under our 2018 Women’s Economic Security Statement, which invested $119.2 million to improve women’s workforce participation and economic security,” Minister Payne said.
“Our $240.4 million 2020 Women’s Economic Security Statement further builds on the 2018 measures and complements the Government’s JobMaker Plan. We know that when women do well both professionally and personally, our economy and nation prospers.”
Through Career Revive, 10 regional businesses will benefit from expert business improvement advice and support provided by KPMG.
Businesses will be offered specific guidance on how to improve business practices and policies and develop a tailored action plan to address barriers to attracting and retaining skilled women who have been out of the workforce for an extended period.
The following 10 businesses have been selected to participate in the 2021 intake of the Career Revive pilot initiative:
• AECOM (Cairns QLD, Townsville QLD, Mackay QLD, Rockhampton QLD, Maroochydore QLD, Darwin NT, Newcastle NSW. Non-regional locations: Brisbane QLD, Canberra ACT, Melbourne VIC, Adelaide SA, Perth WA)
• Capecare (Busselton WA)
• Clarence Valley Council (Clarence Valley local government area, NSW – main towns Grafton, Maclean, Yamba)
• Encompass Community Services (Geelong VIC, Werribee VIC, Leopold VIC, Torquay VIC)
• Nexus Primary Health (Wallan VIC, Broadford VIC, Seymour VIC and Kinglake VIC (physical sites) as well as providing services in areas including Shepparton and Bendigo)
• OneFortyOnePlantations Holdings Pty Ltd (Mount Gambier SA, Box Hill VIC)
• PinnacleHPC Accountants (Griffith NSW, Leeton NSW)
• Shield Services (Bundaberg QLD, Gladstone QLD, Hervey Bay QLD, Rockhampton QLD, Mackay QLD)
• Tas Gas (Launceston TAS, Hobart TAS, Devonport TAS, Bendigo VIC and Country Victoria)
• The Disability Trust (Illawarra NSW, Far South Coast NSW, Shoalhaven NSW, Southern Highlands NSW, Queanbeyan NSW, Cooma NSW, Hunter NSW. Non-regional locations: Sydney NSW, Canberra ACT, Melbourne VIC)
More information on Career Revive, including case studies of former businesses, can be found at https://www.dese.gov.au/career-revive
MEDIA CONTACTS
Guy Creighton – Guy.Creighton@dese.gov.au – 0438 815 302 (Minister Cash)
David Wroe – 0429 531 143; Melanie Ruiz: 0427 888 392 (Minister Payne)
Nicholas Lamana – 0400 673 789 – (Senator Henderson)
3 December 2020
Editor’s note
Encompass Community Services in Geelong will benefit from the Career Revive pilot initiative by receiving support from the department of Education, Skills and Employment who will provide tailored business improvement advice.
This support includes:
• Reviewing their physical workplace, processes, policies and their workplace culture to identify potential barriers that might prevent the business from attracting talented women returning to work;
• Offering guidance on how to improve the businesses practices and policies and develop a tailored action plan to establish a supported returner program and address other barriers within the business; and
• Developing a case study of the business for inclusion in an online toolkit that will provide best practice advice, practical resources and learnings for all businesses.