Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a)International Women's Day is celebrated on 8 March;

(b)the theme for 2018 is 'Press for Progress', recognising the strong and growing global momentum striving for gender equity; and

(c) now more than ever, governments must recommit to addressing entrenched gender inequities including:

  (i) high rates of family and domestic violence, sexual violence and harassment;

  (ii) pay inequity and the undervaluation of work in traditionally female industries; and

  (iii) the under-representation of women in Australian public life and leadership; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) end its complacency and ensure gender equality is a central priority for government; and

(b) commit to urgent action to improve Australian women's:

  (i) safety and physical security;

  (ii) economic security and retirement incomes;

  (iii) health and reproductive rights; and

  (iv) representation in Australian parliaments.

I could not be more pleased than to be standing here to recognise International Women's Day for another year. The 2018 event, which was held during our parliamentary break on 8 March, calls on us all to press for progress, and that's exactly what I and my colleagues in Labor intend to do. International Women's Day provides us with a terrific opportunity each year to take stock—to recognise and celebrate the advances we've made, but also to knowledge our failings and to reaffirm the direction that we need to be heading in.

In too many areas of Australian life, gender inequality remains entrenched. Women still earn 15 per cent less than their male counterparts. Political and broad representation is years off gender parity, and, 10 years after the establishment of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, one woman every week is killed at the hands of a current or former partner. In so many areas there is much more for us to do. But this won't happen automatically. Sadly, progress is not inevitable, and, if we're to bring about real change, we need determined will, political will and action.

Nearly a year ago today, I addressed this House about International Women's Day 2017. I reported that Labor's Status of Women Committee, which I chair, was about to embark on a series of consultations across the country with Australian women and the organisations they represent. I reported that we planned to talk to women from all walks of life, from right across the country, about the issues they faced and the solutions they wanted to see in place. I am very pleased to report, a year on, that this is exactly what we did. Committee members hit the road throughout 2017 for a series of national conversations. This included 35 community meetings, workshops and roundtables, with more than 500 women engaging. We reached out to women in every state and territory, in the cities, rural and regional areas, including my home town of Newcastle. We heard from thousands of women across the country who attended these meetings, took part in the online survey or made a submission or whose views were represented as members of women's organisations. Participants said that their top five priority areas were: (1) ending violence against women and girls; (2) closing the gender pay gap; (3) preventing sexual harassment; (4) supporting marginalised women; and (5) improving access to reproductive rights and healthcare in Australia.

Labor has listened, with this feedback already helping to shape Labor's first policy response. In fact, on the eve of this year's International Women's Day, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and shadow minister for women, Tanya Plibersek, launched Setting the Agenda, a national strategy for gender equality which places gender issues at the very centre of government decision-making. It does this by setting out targets and frameworks for gender-responsive policy. This includes running a gender lens across every piece of legislation to consider its gender impacts, returning the women's budget statement, and convening a ministerial council for gender equality.

The strategy also includes a range of concrete targets that will deliver measurable change. Under the strategy, a Labor government will work with the states and territories to set a family and domestic violence reduction target. We will take measurable action to close the gender pay gap and report back to the parliament on our progress. We will aim to reduce the gap in workforce participation by a quarter by 2025. We will increase women's participation on government boards to 50 per cent in our first term and set a target of 40 per cent of chair and deputy chair positions to be filled by women by 2025. We will boost funding for the six national alliances, which represent more than 180 women's organisations, and fund the ABS to deliver a time-use survey in 2020 and 2027 so we can get real data to help us understand how government policies impact women.

We will act to protect university students from harassment and sexual assault. We need to do a better job of considering the impact of government policies on Australian women. There is no clearer example than the fact that Australia still levies GST on tampons but does not for Viagra. I agree with our deputy leader and shadow minister: this was a dumb decision when it was made in 1999; it is still a dumb decision, and we must fix it.

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