Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to respond to the statement by the Minister for the Status of Women reflecting on some of the themes and actions around International Women's Day. It is a day that provides the opportunity for all of us to reflect on the freedoms that we enjoy in Australia. Too many women around the world are denied the opportunities that Australian women may take for granted every day. Whilst we have come a long way on our quest for gender equality, we have some way to go. There are portions of what the minister said that I agree with wholeheartedly. I would certainly concur with my female colleagues here that we do, as a gender, in many respects, in many theatres of the world, particularly in the developing world, have a long way to go.

In my life before politics, I first trained as a pilot. Regrettably, in those days the major airlines refused to hire female pilots, so my dreams of piloting a 747 have not been realised. I should add that I possibly was not up to the mark either. I do not want to present it as: 'I should have and I didn't.' Fortunately, in my political career I have never felt hindered as a result of my gender. I am a member of a party that promotes its people based on merit, not mandate, and for this I am very thankful. I have to question the validity of advancing gender equality through the mechanism of quotas. I agree that we should have more women in key decision-making roles. I would love to see more women on the boards of ASX 500 companies. However, quotas are not the solution and may in fact work to have some believe that women are only in their positions to meet a target.

Every time I meet a woman who is in a position because of a quota or because there is an understanding that 'We've got a board of 11 people; we'd better have one woman,' they are of course always totally capable and should have got there based on aspects of their performance that had nothing to do with their gender. But there is often an unwritten gender equality requirement. That is something that the government are pushing; they are not necessarily writing it in black and white, but they are making agencies report very strongly around it. I do not think that is helpful. I think it is actually going to make the women who end up in those positions feel somehow devalued. Let me emphasise that, every time I meet them, I know that there should be several more of them on their particular boards.

We need to realistically consider why women are not currently filling these roles. It is certainly not a lack of education or ability. Instead the problem often arises when women take time out to start a family

When preparing to return to work, many realise that the available childcare options may not suit their work schedules or may be cost prohibitive. We need the appropriate support structures in place to ensure that women can return to work.

On this 101st anniversary of International Women's Day, the focus in Australia is on economic empowerment for women. Economic empowerment is critical to ensuring a society where gender equality is not just a catchphrase but a reality. The coalition is committed to economic empowerment. We have proposed a paid parental leave scheme that will provide real economic benefit. Not only will our scheme provide women with replacement income for 26 weeks but it also provides for superannuation. Research indicates that Australian women retire with 40 per cent less superannuation than men, indicating a significant gender imbalance. A large part of this disparity stems from the time that women take off to have their children. By incorporating superannuation into paid parental leave we go some way towards addressing this. If this government were truly committed to pursuing gender equality they would match the coalition's commitment to mandatory superannuation contributions as a component of their Paid Parental Leave scheme. Indeed, if this minister and this government want to prove their commitment to equal remuneration, then I would certainly applaud this as a small step. Remuneration is not just what is received in one's pay packet but what sets you up for your retirement. I would further applaud them if they did adopt the coalition's proposal for paid parental leave—granting that replacement wage for 26 weeks, just like an annual leave entitlement, a long service leave entitlement or a sick leave entitlement. Alas, I fear that this government is all talk and no action on the topic of equal remuneration. The gender pay gap remains real and large in this country and is currently at a 30-year high.

Yet, really, despite the challenges we face, they pale into insignificance when compared to the struggle faced by women in other countries. In many countries across the globe women face challenges that we can scarcely imagine in Australia. Boys are often far more prized than girls and sex selective infanticide is still practised in a number of countries where parents want only male heirs. In other countries women are denied the right to an education. In Afghanistan girls have been killed or tortured for attending school and teachers executed for daring to educate women. The United Nations theme for this year is 'Empower Rural Women—End Hunger and Poverty', and education will be a critical pathway towards reducing the gender gap.

In addition to limited or no education opportunities, women in developing countries often struggle to access credit. Fortunately, organisations such as Grameen Bank have helped to increase access to funds. Ninety-seven per cent of Grameen Bank's clients are women. Certainly this is a step in the right direction for empowering women in the developing world. Countries like Australia have an important role to play. As a nation we need to voice our concerns at human rights abuses, wherever they may occur. The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Warringah, has pledged that, when elected, a coalition government will increase the number of women-at-risk visas in Australia's refugee intake, with a minimum of 1,000 places a year dedicated for women and their dependents who are at risk. These are some of the most vulnerable women, women who have been subjected to the most horrific lives or to torture and suffering.

As a country Liberal, and being very proud of my electorate of Farrer, I want to mention the women of Farrer in a special way today. Parts of my electorate are currently under water. Sixty homes in Lockhart flooded, the entire township of Urana was told to evacuate and a quarter of the houses in The Rock were inundated with floodwater. Yet the communities stand firm, women beside men, demonstrating a stoicism that has been born of a lifetime of struggles on the land. The women in these communities are a true inspiration. They have an ethos of courage and compassion. It is women like these women of Farrer who have helped empower generations of Australian women. I thank them and admire them.

I would like to end today by reiterating my concern for the setting of targets and quotas as a means for achieving gender equity. We would be far better placed progressing gender equity through education and a changing of attitudes. Sexism does still pervade some workplaces, but we have come a long way. Women made up 58 per cent of the domestic students in higher education in 2009. Women are increasingly taking up opportunities to work in formerly male dominated industries, such as mining. We still have work to do, but we can be proud of how far we have come.

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