An Adelaide forum will today address South Australia’s need to attract more women into traditionally male-dominated industries, as the state’s record economic and employment growth fuels an escalating demand for skilled workers.

The Office for Women event brings together leaders from a range of industries including construction, mining, defence, energy and cybersecurity with the aim of unlocking barriers to boosting women’s participation across all areas of the workforce.

Advancing gender equality in the workforce presents enormous opportunities to advance women’s participation in leadership positions, as entrepreneurs and in the wider economy.

Increased participation of women is essential to meet the demands of the state’s continued economic growth.

The forum will hear from Deputy Premier and Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy Susan Close, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Katrine Hildyard, as well as inspiring panelists including:

• Estha van der Linden, SA State Head, Australian Industry Group
• Rebecca Knol, CEO, SA Chamber of Mines and Energy
• Kiara Johnson, Platinum Civil Construction Group
• Amanda Brady, President, National Association of Women in Construction SA
• Dr Eva Balan-Vnuk, SA Government Chief Information Officer

The forum is a key component of South Australia's broader strategy to promote gender equality and reduce barriers to economic and leadership participation for women and girls.

Quotes

Attributable to Susan Close

The South Australian Government is committed to building an inclusive and skilled workforce to drive our state’s economic ambitions.

This event showcases our dedication to advancing gender equality and underscores the positive impact of a diverse workforce on the state’s economic growth and innovation.

Bringing together industry leaders to exchange ideas, explore best practice and develop sustainable solutions is an important step towards addressing workforce demands while increasing women's participation in growth industries.

Attributable to Katrine Hildyard

Gender should never limit one's career choices or opportunities and women should absolutely know that if they want to work building houses, tackling cyber security, designing submarines or the northern water project, they are welcome to do so and there is a pathway for them.

By empowering women to equally and actively participate and thrive in successful careers in whichever industry they choose, we harness the skills and capacity of 51% of the population and build a more innovative, resilient and inclusive economy.

We want our state to lead the way in growing women’s participation in those industries that drive our state’s future and we want everyone to embrace the fact that an equal future benefits all.

This inaugural forum is about us taking a step together toward that equal future; it will provide invaluable insights and encouragement to South Australia’s next generation of women leaders and those who support them.