SYDNEY, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Australian State of Victoria announced on Tuesday their intention to enshrine gender equality in law for first time in Australian history.

While there are already laws in Victoria prohibiting discrimination based on gender, according to a government statement, there are currently no laws in Australia which "proactively progress gender equality".

"The equality between women and men needs to be law, good intentions aren't cutting it," Victorian Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins said.

Victorian authorities have suggested quotas be applied for public sector positions, guaranteeing a certain amount of diversity to be decided by consultation with a "citizen's jury".

The historic move is prompted by information from the International Gender Gap Index, which shows that the top three ranking countries -- Iceland, Finland and Norway -- all have gender equality legislation.

The statement said "the evidence is clear: when public bodies are compelled to promote gender equality by law, gender equality improve".

"We need gender equality urgently, but the pace of change is too slow," Hutchins said. "Gender equality is essential for economic prosperity." Enditem

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