Last year I made a commitment to increasing the number of suitably qualified women and people from non-english speaking backgrounds on boards and committees in the NSW public sector. A recent update of the Statutory Authorities Appointments Database has shown that, although some slight improvement in representation has occurred during the last year, a continued effort is necessary.To assist all Ministers in identifying suitably qualified people, a register of women and a register of people from non-english speaking backgrounds are administered by the Office of Public Management (OPM). Shortlists of people with particular areas of experience can be provided for consideration when vacancies occur on boards and/or committees within portfolios.Through using these registers, along with other means of identifying suitable candidates such as advertising, I hope that New South Wales may move further towards fair representation and the management advantages which this offers.Requests for shortlists should be referred to Mr Brendan Kelly of the Personnel Policy Division of OPM on 228 5488.

 

Yours sincerely

Premier