Making a Difference: Gender Analysis and the South Australian Budget
The University of Adelaide’s Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender recently hosted a workshop, "Making a Difference: Gender Analysis and the South Australian Budget".
This workshop aimed to explore gender-responsive budgeting within the context of South Australia's budgetary processes. It emphasised the importance of budgets in translating government promises into tangible actions and highlighted the adoption of gender-responsive budgeting by the South Australian government in 2023.
Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) involves analysing the impact of government spending and revenue policies on gender equality and using this analysis to inform changes in budget allocation.
The workshop featured case studies, frameworks, and discussions on the role of gender analysis in influencing policy and budget outcomes. Participants came from the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, City of Adelaide, Elder Care, Embolden, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), Public Service Association of SA, South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS), and Uniting Communities, who discussed various aspects of gender-responsive budgeting, such as its significance, challenges, and potential to address gender inequalities.
Key speakers included Dr Alexandra Peralta (University of Adelaide’s School of Economics and Public Policy), Dr Sanjugta Vas Dev (Office for Women South Australia), Dr Monica Costa (Gender and development economist world expert on GRB), Emerita Professor Rhonda Sharp (Feminist Economist and world expert on GRB), Dr Connie Musolino (University of Adelaide’s Stretton Institute), Ms Abbey Kendall (Working Women’s Centre SA), and Ms Vanessa McLaoughin (Department of Treasury and Finance SA).
The workshop provided a platform for debate and collaboration on gender equality issues in anticipation of the upcoming state budget and budget women’s statement for 2024-2025. Funding for the event was provided by the University of Adelaide’s Faculty of Arts, Business, Law, and Economics.