'Each for Equal': is Canberra really the capital of equality?

The ACT is a relatively progressive jurisdiction that prides itself on embracing diversity and inclusion, but we still have a long way to go to achieve gender equality.

Last year, YWCA Canberra launched a report based on a survey of nearly 1100 Canberra women, which sadly showed just how unequal living in Canberra can be.

The report showed that discrimination against women is still common, and that domestic and interpersonal violence is something that an unacceptable number of women experience.

This International Women's Day, which has the theme of "Each for Equal", we call on the ACT government to lead the way on creating a truly gender-equal and inclusive Canberra.

Introducing a comprehensive, age-appropriate respectful relationships education program in all schools and universities in the ACT is a great place to start.

While the ACT government supports initiatives to manage student behaviour in schools, these do little to change deeply ingrained behaviour and beliefs that are grounded in gender inequality.

We need an evidence-based, whole-of-community program that gives young people the tools and strategies necessary to form respectful relationships. This needs to start from preschool, which is an important formative stage in children's understanding of the world.

We're also calling on the ACT government to collect gender-disaggregated data on women's perceptions of their safety in public places.

This includes understanding the nuanced experiences of women with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and those from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Our report showed that women are acutely aware of their safety and surroundings, with 55 per cent of respondents feeling "somewhat unsafe" or "very unsafe" when accessing public spaces after dark.

Current police data only provides a homogenous view, leaving a sizeable blind spot for government in developing better planning and public policy.

We're also calling for positive consent legislation to be prioritised.

As the case against fallen Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein demonstrates, notions of consent are still shrouded in a cloud of power imbalances.

It is outrageous that a maker and breaker of Hollywood dreams can proposition his way to a "consent" that is legitimised when it isn't met with demonstrable resistance.

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Just as women are still told that the way to avoid harassment is to dress conservatively, the burden of preventing our own rapes (as well as proving that they happened) has also fallen to women.

If we freeze in terror while under attack, this can be interpreted as granting consent.

As with respectful relationships education and better data and research on women's experiences, YWCA Canberra has called for a positive model of consent to be introduced into the ACT Crimes Act.

A bill to address this was the subject of an Assembly inquiry, which recommended the proposal be revisited once the NSW Law Reform Commission reviewed that state's consent laws.

Released last year, the commission's recommendations found "consent is not just an internal state of mind, but a communicated state of mind".

Despite this progress, the ACT government remains silent on when it will revisit this important piece of legislative reform.

Through accessing levers in policy, legislation, procurement and regulation, the role of government in addressing gender inequality cannot be understated.

This International Women's Day, I call on the Chief Minister and the wider ACT government to heed the experiences and perspectives of women in prioritising its resources and focus ahead of the ACT election.

We comprise more than half of the ACT's population, and we deserve a government that backs us.

As an organisation that has served this community for more than 90 years, YWCA Canberra is willing and ready to be part of the solution.