Labor and the Greens form first women's caucus

Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry has convened the group, marking the record number of women in the 10th ACT Legislative Assembly.

The Liberals, who are the only party represented in the Assembly with a female leader, have not been invited to join the caucus.

Ms Berry said women and girls had a better chance at equal opportunities and fewer barriers to participation in society when women were included in senior decision-making and leadership positions.

"The ACT government Women's Caucus will provide an opportunity for women with diverse backgrounds and expertise to come together and share opportunities to advance our goal of full participation of women and girls in all aspects of society," she said.

"I will seek the support of my women colleagues to prioritise this through, for example, the government's continuing efforts to prevent domestic and family violence and address the prevalence of sexual assault in our community.

"While this caucus will be for Labor and Greens MLAs I welcome the opportunity to meet with Liberal women MLAs to promote open dialogue about further progressing gender equality in the ACT."

She said COVID-19 had further highlighted areas of inequality for women, more frequently taking on cares responsibilities and more likely to be employed in insecure and low paid occupations.

"With this in mind I have asked the Office for Women to begin a gendered analysis of the economic impacts of the pandemic on the community," she said.

Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said the caucus was a good thing, but hoped it was backed up with action.

"The Canberra Liberals are proud of having a majority female party room. The Canberra Liberals are also proud of electing the first female leadership team in the ACT," she said.

"We will always work with our Labor and Greens counterparts to achieve more to progress equality and rights for women and girls in the ACT."