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The Commonwealth Government is committed to assisting women in rural and remote communities by strengthening the quality of support systems, enhancing the ability of women to actively contribute to policy affecting them and in building their communities.
In 1998 the Government commissioned ground breaking research that investigated rural women's economic contribution to rural industries and impediments to their access to decision making in the sector. The national research project entitled Missed Opportunities - harnessing the potential of women in agriculture quantified, for the first time, the dollar contributions rural women make to their farm businesses and their communities.
The Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services established a Regional and Rural Women's Unit in 1999 to address the needs of regional women and to ensure that women's perspectives are taken into account in the development of policies and programmes affecting regional Australia. One function of the Unit is to provide the secretariat for the Regional Women's Advisory Council, created by the Government both to advise on key issues facing regional Australia and to ensure that the Government is aware of the views, aspirations and needs of regional and rural women.
The Council is currently undertaking an action research project involving seven sites around Australia. The purpose of the research is to identify those behaviours, attitudes and skills that communities employ to successfully manage rapid change. The results will be announced in September 2001.