Labor loves gender rules, Speakman vows to scrap them

THE NSW Opposition will scrap rules forcing bureaucrats to apply a “gendered lens” to new policy proposals if it’s elected back into government.

Liberal Leader Mark Speakman has vowed to scrap rules forcing bureaucrats to apply a “gendered lens” to new policy proposals if the Coalition is elected back into government.

The Minns government yesterday refused to scrap the “gender impact assessments” quietly introduced in October.

The policy, while enacted under Labor, was first promised as part of former treasurer Matt Kean’s 2022-23 budget.

But now, asked whether he would scrap the gender impact assessments in government, Mr Speakman said: “Yes”.

“There are some cases where a policy may impact men and women differently, but forcing every project through layers of red tape is a waste of time and resources,” he said.

“Our focus is and will always be on getting things done, not on endless paperwork.”

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Mr Speakman’s comments are an about-face from the policies proposed by his former colleague Mr Kean, which included a commitment that all departments would “produce women’s impact assessments in the development process for new policies”.

That commitment became the “gender impact assessments” policy introduced by Labor last year.

Government officials were standing by those assessments on Wednesday, with acting treasurer Courtney Houssos accusing Mr Speakman of “hypocrisy of the highest order” by pledging to scrap it.

“What a shambolic situation to have the Opposition Leader and shadow treasurer trashing their own policy just two years after creating it. We will continue to deliver policies that improve the lives of families and households, and repair the state’s budget.”

As revealed by the Telegraph on Wednesday, all new policy proposals worth more than $10 million now need to go through a “gender impact assessment” to “highlight how women, men or gender diverse people may have different needs … due to their gender”.

Liberal Leader Mark Speakman has vowed to scrap rules forcing bureaucrats to apply a “gendered lens” to new policy proposals.

Public servants have been told that they will need to “gather data and evidence to understand the gendered impacts” of new policy proposals, including engaging in time-consuming stakeholder consultation.

Example “gender impact assessments” provided by NSW Treasury include how policies like cycleways, new bus routes or fire stations impact people differently based on gender.

While the assessments are mandatory, it is understood new policies will not be given a “pass” or “fail” mark.

Originally published as Labor loves gender rules, Speakman vows to scrap them