YWCA Canberra has a long history of engaging with political parties and candidates in the lead up to each local and federal election.
Our 2020 ACT election platform, Towards 2024, called on candidates and parties to prioritise action on the following recommendations:
The 2020 ACT Election took place against a backdrop of increased financial insecurity impacting disproportionately on the female workforce as well as additional unpaid care and greater risk of violence as a result of lock-down measures. For YWCA Canberra, it was more important than ever that the priorities of Canberra’s women and children were central to the election and the next ACT Government’s plan.
As part of our Towards 2024 campaign, we reached out to our members and supporters to encourage engagement and hear ideas about the ACT election and how candidates and parties can work to address these priorities.
The ACT Government has adopted a number of our recommendations since the 2020 election, including the creation of a cross-sector and cross-government working group to advise on how to prevent and improve justice outcomes for survivors of sexual violence, and the removal of the cap on the land tax concession scheme for property investors who lease properties at affordable rates through registered community housing providers.
The below Towards 2024 resources were made available.