General News
30 November, 2025
Gender equality boss backs rural endeavour
A LACK of child care in rural areas was a factor effecting staff recruitment, said Victoria’s Public Service Gender Equality Commissioner Niki Vincent
Ms Vincent last week visited Inglewood and Districts Health Service, Loddon Shire Council and Boort District Health discussing the state’s Gender Equality Act.
She is responsible for driving systemic change across 300 organisations, 450,000 employees and the community.
The act requires the Victorian public sector, local councils and universities to: take action towards achieving workplace gender equality and consider and promote gender equality in their policies, programs and services.
Dr Vincent said work became a challenging juggle for people in rural areas without access to child care.
She said that meant rural hospitals and councils could not always be held to the same equality standards as large metropolitan operations.
“The Act doesn’t allow that but what we look at is the reasons (against meeting equality standards,” she said.
“What we want to see is organisations making the best attempt they can to progress in that context.”
Ms Vincent said the Act could be a burden on small organisations, however, BDH deputy chair Greg Curry said the hospital was committed to the meeting the principles of the Gender Equality Act.
The Act followed the 2016 Royal Commission into Family Violence that showed Victoria needed to address gender inequality in order to reduce family violence and all forms of violence against women.
Read More: Berrimal, Boort, Inglewood