Minister's message

As the Minister for Women in NSW, it is my role every single day to advocate for increasing economic and social opportunities for women and girls from all corners of our state. I am extremely proud to present the NSW Women’s Strategy 2023–2026.

The Strategy is a continuation of the fantastic work done in the previous NSW Women’s Strategy 2018–2022.

It is important to acknowledge that the previous Strategy covered a time when NSW experienced severe drought, bushfires, flooding, and the health and social impacts of COVID-19. Evidence demonstrates that these events often have a disproportionate impact on women. We know women’s parenting and caring responsibilities increased, women were overrepresented in industries hardest hit by COVID-19, and women were often at the front of supporting communities as they rebuilt.

Despite these challenging times, I am incredibly proud of the progress we have achieved over the last 4 years. We have increased the number of women on boards and in senior leadership roles, more than doubled funding for pregnancy, parenting and perinatal health supports, removed barriers for women returning to work and expanded access to affordable childcare.

The NSW Government is championing women and girls by making it easier for women to enter, stay in, and return to work through a $16.5 billion investment in the inaugural Women’s Opportunity Statement, which was released alongside the NSW Budget 2022–23. I want to extend my sincere thanks to the expert panel that informed the NSW Budget, led by Sam Mostyn AO, with regional input from the incredible Jillian Kilby. It has been an honour to work alongside the panel.

Now is the time to build on this momentum and drive future opportunities for women and girls in NSW. Through this Strategy, I want to give young girls the chance to become astrophysicists, lead our tech companies, become sporting superstars; to excel in whatever field they choose.

I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation for the more than 2,000 women and girls who contributed to the development of the Strategy. We heard directly from women right across NSW – from girls to older women; women living in metro areas to regional, rural and remote
NSW; and women from diverse communities and cultural backgrounds. Thank you to the NSW Council for Women’s Economic Opportunity for your continued guidance and contributions.

The Strategy aims for a real shift in our society. Achieving such bold change will take persistence and partnerships with other governments, businesses and the community. I call on all our partners to do all they can to create the equal society that NSW deserves.

I look forward to working with my Parliamentary colleagues to maintain momentum on issues that matter most to women and girls in NSW and to ensure that women’s voices are heard. We know that when women thrive, everyone thrives.

The Hon Bronnie Taylor MLC
Minister for Women
Minister for Regional Health
Minister for Mental Health