The Malinauskas Government is committed to ensuring South Australia is a fair and inclusive state, in which women and girls can equally, actively and safely participate in all aspects of community life and the economy.

While the government has made significant investment and advancement towards achieving gender equality, there is more we must do. Women in South Australia continue to face inequalities including a gender pay gap, lower workforce participation, under-representation in leadership, and face a higher risk of domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV).

Achieving equality for women and girls requires a collective effort from government, community organisations, business and communities.

The Women’s Equality Blueprint 2023-26 outlines key actions and initiatives the government is committed to implementing to advance gender equality.

This budget includes a range of additional initiatives to tackle the prevalence of violence against women, enhance training opportunities, promote health and wellbeing and grow women’s participation in the workforce, including in the industries of our future.

Safety and Security

Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence

The Royal Commission, led by Natasha Stott Despoja AO, will deliver recommendations to inform future investment and coordination across government in the four domains of prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery and healing. Importantly it will ensure brave survivors are heard. It will provide South Australia with a significant opportunity to focus on recognising the rights of children as survivors of this violence as well as programs that better address behaviours that lead to gendered violence.

To support the Royal Commission this budget includes:

$1.5 million over two years to establish a central response unit to address and coordinate information requests and across government effort associated with the Royal Commission.

$3.3 million in 2024-25 to ensure the continuation of a number of innovative domestic violence pilot programs, including holistic support to Aboriginal families, earlier and trauma-informed assistance for survivors, wellbeing and recovery services for survivors, as well as preventative education and behaviour programs for perpetrators.

National Partnership Funding

In 2023-24 the government finalised negotiations for a revised National Partnership on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses 2021-27 agreement, which includes $12.2 million to recruit 38.6 FTE new front line community workers under the 500 Workers initiative over 2022-26, and $3.4 million to trial new projects that support men and boys to examine, and change, their behaviour under the Innovative Perpetrator Responses initiative over 2022-27.

Achievements

• Legislation passed to electronically monitor perpetrators of serious family and domestic violence offences, as a condition of bail.
• Introduction of laws to provide fifteen days of paid domestic violence leave for those employed pursuant to the state Fair Work Act 1994 and include the experience of family and domestic violence as grounds for discrimination in the Equal Opportunity Act 1984.
• 31 025 people accessed the See the Signs website raising awareness about coercive control.
• Both the Domestic Violence Prevention and Recovery Hub in the south and the Domestic Violence Multi-Agency Hub in the north have opened.
• Over 1 150 people across 50 sporting clubs have participated in the Raiise Program highlighting the importance of challenging gender stereotypes and promoting respectful behaviour in sport.

Continued Government Investment

• National Homelessness Agreement – Support for women facing homelessness because of DFSV.
• DFSV Crisis Accommodation Program.
• DFSV Perpetrator Program.
• Critical DFSV services – legal support, housing support, regional safety hubs, and culturally safe responses.

Leadership and Participation

Early Years Reform

The government’s early years reform package will improve child development outcomes and increase opportunities for women to participate in the workforce. Reforms include:

• Universal preschool for 3-year-olds in government and non-government settings, including long day care centres from 2026.
• Kindy Care trial to provide care options outside of the regular government preschool hours of 9am to 3pm.
• Expansion of early childhood parenting groups delivered through the Child and Family Health Service from 2025-26.
• $56 million early childhood workforce development fund, to ensure that we attract and retain the highly skilled, female dominated, early childhood workforce needed to deliver quality play-based preschool for 3-year-olds.

Netball SA Stadium Upgrade

$83.1 million over four years

Netball is the biggest sport for women and girls in South Australia. This investment to redevelop the Netball SA stadium will encourage participation at all ages and will enable more people to experience the mental, physical and emotional health and wellbeing benefits of being involved in sports.

Recfish SA

$200 000 in 2024-25 for education and community engagement and to plan, implement and deliver strategies to help increase and diversify participation in recreational fishing activities including RecFish SA’s ‘Reel Women’ fishing diversity program.

Achievements

520 women and girls have participated in Game Changing. Period., delivering education to sports clubs to promote awareness and reduce the stigma associated with periods and menstruation.

Continued Government Investment

The Power of Her – Round 2 of The Power of Her Funding Program providing funding for dedicated facilities, improvements to facilities, equipment and programs for girl’s and women’s sport. This is part of an $18 million program over three years.

Economic Wellbeing

Achievements

• Tuition free training for 13 790 students, with women making up around 55 per cent of all enrolments as at the end of 2023.
• More than 1 600 women participated in the Women in Business Program designed to support female entrepreneurs.
• 80 students enrolled in the Akkodis Academy, a collaborative initiative aimed at meeting the growing demand for technology workers in our IT industry, with a particular focus on addressing the under-representation of women in STEM roles.

Continued Government Investment

• Women in Business programs – supporting entrepreneurial-minded women business owners to expand their leadership and business skills.
• Fearless Innovator Grants – assisting women to access capital to grow their business into a national and global enterprise.
• Women in Innovation (WINN) – supporting WINN, a not-for-profit initiative, to assist more South Australian women with startup.
• Women in Non-Traditional Industries Forum – to kick-start conversation between the government and key sectors about women’s participation in the industries of the future.
• Defence Industry Connection Program – providing scholarships for under-represented university students, including women, to undertake work placements with local defence companies.
• Fee Free TAFE – extension of Fee Free TAFE from 2024, with 15 000 places available in South Australia over three years.
• Skills Shortage Solutions – support initiatives to address skills shortages including a dedicated stream supporting the attraction, retention and upskilling of women in trade occupations: Women in Civil, BuildHer Campaign and Brick and Blocklaying projects.
• Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeships – grant funding to establish 75 software engineering degree apprenticeships for the defence industry, providing paid learning opportunities, with a focus on attracting women participants.

Health

Youth Mental Health Support

$5 million over four years to support youth mental health services, including an expansion of child and adolescent virtual urgent care services and mental health workshops, and to support carers and families of those with eating disorders.

Achievements

Engaging pharmacies to provide easier access to urinary tract infection and contraceptive pill medicine.

Continued Government Investment

• New Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
• SA Health Women’s Health Service.