Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion of condolence for Susan Ryan AO, and I'm proud to follow the member for Newcastle, who is walking in those footsteps. It is a cliche to say that Susan Ryan was a trailblazer but, for someone that does hiking, the trailblazer makes it easier for all those that come after them. They mark a trail and say, 'You can come this way; I have made it easier for you.' Susan Ryan certainly achieved great things for women and for Australia as that trailblazer. Someone always needs to step up first and to go out in areas that are perhaps unknown to achieve that progress for all. Being the first woman around a Labor cabinet table was a remarkable achievement, and obviously Susan has paved the way for many others. Some might say too few, but certainly in Labor we are doing our bit.

Susan was an incredible leader—as an advocate for women's issues, as the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women in the Hawke government, and, in later life, as an advocate for older women when she became the Age Discrimination Commissioner from 2011. That's the capacity in which I first met her. Through her leadership, Susan changed our country for the better. It is no coincidence that, during Susan's time in government, great advances towards equality were made and, most importantly, have mostly held up firm. Susan introduced the Sex Discrimination Act in 1984, giving women equal rights in the workforce for the first time—no more getting sacked for getting married or falling pregnant or the like.

Women make up half our population, and they need to be involved in decisions that affect their lives. They need to make decisions that affect their lives. When women are absent from the decision-making table, it should be no shock that the decisions that are made without them will negatively impact on women. Susan led by example, and women have followed her, particularly in the Labor movement. I'm very proud that 47 per cent of our federal Labor caucus are women. Unfortunately, we're not in government, and the current government benches seem to be a little bit bereft of women—and this matters, because we know that, for young girls, if you can't see it, you can't be it.

After seven years of conservative governments, the lives of Australian women have, sadly, worsened. It's easy to see after last night's budget that things have worsened. In 2013, Australia was ranked 23rd in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report—not good enough, you might say—when measuring the gap between men and women in health, education, work and politics. Last year, we slipped back to 44th out of 153 countries—and you would be embarrassed to see the countries that are ahead of us. So we are sliding backwards, and we've seen no improvement from the Morrison government. Last night's budget left women out almost completely.

Perhaps the reason the Morrison government's policies are heavily weighted against the interests of Australian women is that the government's cabinet table is dominated by men. In fact, the Morrison government's very important Expenditure Review Committee—the one overseeing all government spending—is made up entirely of men. This is at a time when women need solutions to the systemic problems that Susan Ryan fought against so often—systemic problems such as women over the age of 55 being the fastest-growing group of homeless Australians, and 40 per cent of older single retired women living in poverty. That is an obscene statistic in 2020. That's a shameful legacy for this parliament.

Encouraging women into the workforce is good for the economy and it is good for women. So why does child care in Australia cost between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of the average household income, when the average in the OECD is just 11 per cent? The current Child Care Subsidy scheme, introduced by then Minister Morrison as social services minister, is one of the most expensive in the world. As Treasurer, now Prime Minister Morrison voted eight times for cuts to penalty rates. Women make up the majority of workers in retail and accommodation, where those penalty rate cuts have hit the hardest. Cutting penalty rates has made it harder for these women to put food on the table and pay the rent and has exacerbated the gender pay gap that Susan Ryan fought so hard to close.

Instead of policy that will improve the outcomes for women, we have seen policy half-measures, like allowing women to raid their superannuation to escape family violence. Susan Ryan knew of this and campaigned and lobbied Labor members, as we heard from the member for Newcastle, almost to the day that she died. She knew the importance of women being able to safely flee from family violence. We also know that women already retire with significantly less superannuation than men. This policy will only increase their chances of poverty or homelessness in later years. Instead of implementing any of the multitude of recommendations from recent reports and inquiries which could be protecting women right now, the Morrison government has launched yet another parliamentary inquiry into the family law system.

Education was also something that Susan Ryan knew the benefit of. The government's university funding reform, supposedly designed to increase enrolments in STEM subjects, will mean students wanting to study humanities subjects, predominantly female students, will be paying more than double for their degrees. All these policy decisions matter. There should be people like Susan Ryan sitting around the cabinet table who can raise these issues. We know that women are going to bear the brunt of the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government's stimulus response has a clear bias towards male-dominated sectors such as construction, rather than any feminised part of the workforce, and so it goes on. When strong women like Susan Ryan speak up, and when they're in leadership roles, progressive societies can be lulled into a false sense of security. Susan was a strong leader, and other women have followed in her large footsteps, but the current government has not prioritised women in its leadership at all. At best, women are an afterthought and, at worst, they are discriminated against by deliberate policy decisions.

The issues we stand up for, more than just the roles we play, are who we really are. Susan Ryan made it very clear who she was from the very moment she entered public life, and Susan did not waver. She was an inspiration not just for Labor women but for Labor men as well. She advocated for what she believed in for her entire life. Susan Ryan gave her all to this country. Her passing is a terrible loss, but she leaves a lasting legacy. Women will continue to follow in her footsteps, and that will make this country a better place. I'm going to finish with the 'Irish Blessing', that Susan Ryan knew so well.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

the rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

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