The Andrews Labor government says it has achieved its gender equality targets on Treasury boards, with women making up 63 per cent ofboard members in the portfolio

Fifty per cent of all chair positions in the Treasurer’s portfolio are held by women, leading one government minister to declare that Labor’s quota system works.

More than half of all new appointments to Victorian government boards in the past three years have been women, increasing the overall female representation from 39 per cent to 53 per cent on state government boards.

Treasurer Tim Pallas said on Sunday that women were making progress beyond the boardroom, contributing 74 per cent of the overall rise in Victoria’s labour market participation rate since June 2014.

A higher level of education among women has been a particularly important contributor to the increased levels of workforce participation, Mr Pallas said, with the proportion of Victorian women holding post-school qualifications rising to 64 per cent in 2016, from 51 per cent in 2006.

“We’ve acted to ensure women have a seat at the table and are part of the decision making for Victoria’s key economic and finance institutions,” Mr Pallas said.

Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins said the increased board representation was clear evidence of the effectiveness of Labor’s quotas.

“Quotas work, and our progress on women’s board leadership is a clear indicator of that,” Ms Hutchins said.

“An equal representation of women in leadership matters.

“Without it, we won’t change the attitudes and behaviours that see men as worth more than women.”