Not exactly one big umbrella policy, but I wanted to include an article about how the Labor Government is taking action across the board to improve women's educational experiences and career pathways.

To address the serious issue of gender-based violence in higher education, where one in six university students has experienced sexual harassment, the government has invested $19.4 million to establish a National Student Ombudsman.

This will be complemented by an $18.7 million National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence, requiring all higher education providers to implement whole-of-organisation approaches to student safety.

Simultaneously, the government is addressing systemic barriers to women's participation in male-dominated fields through several initiatives. These include $38.2 million over eight years to scale up Women in STEM programs in response to the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review, and the introduction of the Australian Skills Guarantee with targeted quotas for women in apprenticeships, traineeships and cadetships on major government-funded construction and ICT projects.

Gender equality has also been established as a core priority in the new five-year National Skills Agreement, with up to $12.6 billion invested in state and territory training systems including $250 million specifically dedicated to improving VET qualification completion rates for women.

[1] https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd2425/25bd017

[2] https://elker.com/articles/protected-attributes

[3] https://ministers.dewr.gov.au/gallagher/next-steps-ensuring-fair-pay-and-conditions-working-women

[4] https://budget.gov.au/content/womens-statement/download/womens-budget-statement-2024-25.pdf

[5] https://www.education.gov.au/action-plan-addressing-genderbased-violence-higher-education/resources/action-plan-addressing-genderbased-violence-higher-education

[6] https://www.dewr.gov.au/australian-skills-guarantee/resources/australian-skills-guarantee-factsheet