Govt could use procurement to level tech industry

Social enterprise Girl Geek Academy (GGA) said the federal government could easily use its considerable financial influence to help solve Australia’s lack of women in tech.

Referencing the $16 billion in tech industry-related contracts worth over $100,000 that were in play over FY22, GGA said there is opportunity to incentivise industry to deliver on gender equality promises.

GGA CEO Sarah Moran said that as consultations close on draft recommendations of Minister Ed Husic’s Diversity in STEM Review, the lack of an enforcement mechanism for the tech industry to foster equality means there is no incentive to change anything.

“The federal government holds $16 billion worth of contract ‘carrots’ that can incentivise the tech industry to deliver gender equality. We need to fix the system, not the girls: it’s a billion-dollar system and the government has both the power and money to change it,” Moran said.

“We’re calling on the federal government to ensure tech companies present gender equality action plans before they get access to the government the chequebook: if you want to receive public funds, you need to do the work to support women in the tech industry.”

GGA has been working on the issue of gender inequality in tech for almost 10 years, and said the industry is key to driving solutions, but the current draft recommendations have no instrument to ensure it happens.

“We know when times get tough women in tech programs are shunted in cost-cutting measures, and yet those same tech companies still get paid from the government purse regardless,” Moran said.

“The government must ensure tech companies aren’t perpetuating the very problem the government is trying to solve. Putting gender equality action plans in place before a tech company receives public funding will help us get there, together.”

Moran suggests gender equality action plans would help the government deliver the other draft recommendations put forward in the Diversity in STEM review, such as educational programs in high schools, at universities and during school holidays, ultimately addressing the fact that women comprise just 29% of the tech workforce in Australia.

“There’s a desperate need for programs supporting young people in schools and universities to join the industry. Leveraging procurement in this way would not only create the financial incentive for industry to get involved, but also create the infrastructure for industry to easily participate in these programs. It’s a clear win, win.”

Earlier this year GGA surveyed over 300 people in tech and included feedback to the review in a submission titled “Enough Talk: Girl Geek solutions for action & investment in gender equity in STEM/ technology”.

At the time, Moran said, “Women shared with us so many examples of gender discrimination, unconscious bias and sexual harassment within the technology industry, we only describe it as a widespread, systemic pattern.

“Until now, we have expected women to be more resilient or learn to act like the boys or to speak up and make change in order to make it in a STEM career. But placing the burden on individual women at individual worksites to change things is neither fair nor productive.”

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