Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Early on, the Morrison government identified that the COVID-19 crisis was not just a health crisis, but it was also an economic crisis. All Australians have been impacted in some way, particularly in my home state of Victoria. As we know, women have also been heavily impacted by the economic fallout from COVID-19. Between February and May, 482,000 women lost employment and the women's unemployment rate rose by two percentage points to 6.9 per cent. This was largely the consequence of women predominantly being in hard-hit industries such as accommodation, food services and retail. It was certainly through no fault of their own. However, the easing of restrictions in these industries in states other than my home state of Victoria has seen a recovery in women's employment, with 60 per cent of the jobs created since May being filled by women. This is a very welcome development.

The Morrison government understands the important economic role of female participation in the workforce. That is why this year's budget includes the Women's Economic Security Statement. In 2018, my predecessor in the electorate of Higgins, Kelly O'Dwyer, the then Minister for Women, released the inaugural Women's Economic Security Statement. I am so proud that the 2020 budget included an updated Women's Economic Security Statement. This builds on the important strides already made by the Morrison government, and complements the broader array of budget measures designed to see us tackle the COVID recession.

The 2020 WESS—the Women's Economic Security Statement—has five priorities. The first priority is to repair and rebuild women's workforce participation and further close the gender pay gap. Before COVID-19, Australia had made significant progress on women's economic security. Most notably, women's workforce participation had risen from 58.7 per cent in September 2013 to 61.6 per cent in January 2020, pre-COVID. These are among the best rates in the world. However, as a result of COVID-19, those participation rates have unfortunately fallen to 57.5 per cent in May 2020. The Morrison government recognises that population, participation and productivity are the keys to economic prosperity. We have, therefore, built programs for women's participation to increase and to return to the workforce. One of these central planks of the economic revival program is JobMaker. JobMaker is a $74 billion plan, which includes $50 billion in tax relief to households and businesses. This means more money in the pockets of families and more money to keep businesses open and to lead to job creation. This is critical for female dominated industries such as hospitality and retail. The tax cuts are going to low- and medium-income earners, and that means they spend it in the economy.

There's also a very important signature program called the JobMaker Hiring Credit program, which is worth $4 billion. Young women have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19 and they account for one-third of the total fall in women's employment. The hiring credit program is available to employers for each new job they create over the next 12 months that hires an eligible young person between the ages of 16 and 35 years. We know that when an economic recession hits—it doesn't matter where it is in the world—it hits the young hardest. With this program, the businesses will receive $200 per week if they hire an eligible employee between the ages of 16 and 29 and $100 per week if they make a hire aged between 30 and 35 years. This will stimulate new employment. This will help the young and it will help women.

There's also $2.8 billion for the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy. This will benefit around 90,000 small and medium businesses to keep 180,000 apprentices in work. More than 14,000 women apprentices and trainees have already benefited from this measure. That is a very welcome development. $1.2 billion has been committed to create the new Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements subsidy to support employers to take up 100,000 new apprentices and subsidies. This will prevent a skills shortage and create opportunities for women.

There is also the Mid-Career Checkpoint, because we understand how difficult it can be to re-enter the work force when you're raising a family. Having four kids myself, I know how sometimes the confidence can ebb. It's important that we support women going back into the workplace after they have had their children or during the times they are in and out of employment. It can be a very challenging task. The government is investing $75 million to support up to 40,000 Australians looking to return to the workforce. The program targets women aged 30 to 45 years looking to step up their career. This is an incredibly important program. All Mid-Career Checkpoint participants receive an introductory skills assessment which considers the participant's employment goals, skills and qualifications.

I am also very passionate about making sure that women step up to the jobs that have higher salaries. We know that the gender pay gap is partly because women are attracted to employment which has less robust salaries. We really want to encourage women to take the jobs that are flourishing, that are increasing in number and that also have higher wages. That includes encouraging women into STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We know that those are the jobs of the 21st century knowledge economy and those are the jobs in which we want women to become trained and educated in preparation for their own future. If we are to bridge the gender pay gap, it is critical that we equip women and girls to gain the skills to access high-skilled, high-paying jobs. That is why the government is providing an additional $14.5 million to support women and girls looking to enter STEM fields. They are girls like Grace Halifax, an eight-year-old student in my electorate of Higgins who is passionate about coding and wants other students to learn too. Many of you will have heard of this amazing young woman because of her efforts to launch 'The ABC of coding' in lockdown via Zoom. She encouraged 250 students to sign up to free coding lessons for six weeks during lockdown in Melbourne, which was an amazing outcome—showing that she has a passion for understanding that the ABC of coding is like the ABC of language, and that is the base for mathematics and technology going forward.

The government is also providing additional funding for the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grants program—called the WISE program, very appropriately. To date, WISE has provided $7.97 million to 46 organisations supporting a range of projects that have increased girls and women's participation in STEM and entrepreneurship. Our government is also committing $25.1 million for the Women in STEM Cadetships and Advanced Apprenticeships to create STEM career pathways for up to 500 women through industry sponsored advanced apprenticeship-style courses starting in 2021. These course will be hotly contended for. I already know many constituents who are going to put their hand up for these exciting apprenticeships and cadetships. We're also providing support for women in vocational training through our VET funding of $585 million to deliver skills for today and tomorrow. I'm only through the first priority of the Women's Economic Security Statement—and look how many programs there are and how much funding is committed to women.

The second of these priorities is to provide greater choice and flexibility for families to manage work and care. This includes ensuring that we have provided enough support for a child-care recovery packages in Victoria in my home state, where the Morrison government recognises the hardship that the childcare centres have gone through during COVID and the extended lockdown in Victoria. We've committed $372 million to a child-care recovery package for Victoria. This means that Victorian services can continue to receive a 25 per cent recovery payment through to 31 January 2021. This is incredibly important to provide choice and options in an accessible and well-supported child-care program.

The third priority is to support women as leaders and positive role models. We know that women have not had the same role models to look to that men have had because it is relatively only in our recent history that we have witnessed women in power. Like men, women need to be able to look across the country and see themselves represented at every point of significance. One of my local constituents, Melanie, recently wrote to me about the business she runs with her sister Emma, Fasham in Armidale. To them, mentoring is such a vital tool to support women who have entered any industry and inspire them to achieve their goals. Emma and Melanie joined the family business 15 years ago after a long and successful career in real estate. They know better than anyone how important it is to be surrounded by mentors who inspire and challenge them. They also know how vital it is to have mentoring opportunities to assist young women who may face challenges, particularly like the COVID challenges we face today.

One such Australian woman I look up to is the CEO of Alcidion, in my electorate of Higgins, Kate Quirke. For those of you in this House who are not aware, Alcidion is a healthcare informatics company focused on using data and technology to provide safe and smart healthcare delivery across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Kate Quirke was named Women in Technology Executive Leader and is a great example of the importance of taking Australian innovation to the rest of world.

The concept of 'if she can do it so can I' is a very powerful motivator. Men take for granted that they have role models of power and influence. For women, this is a relatively recent development. That is why the government is investing in the Women's Leadership and Development Program. This program aims to improve outcomes for women across six key focus areas: job creation, leadership, economic security, workforce participation, safety and international engagement. An additional $47.9 million is being provided to expand this program to help women retain employment and build career pathways, with an emphasis on male dominated industries.

The fourth priority is to respond to the diverse needs of women. Women experiencing multiple disadvantage have lower workforce participation rates than the national average. The Morrison government is committed to supporting women from diverse backgrounds to overcome these barriers and strengthen their economic security. This includes women who are not located in metropolitan locations, those who are taking breaks from the employment market and those who are looking to return to work after extended time away.

Young women will also have support through our government providing $729 million from 2020 to 2024 to support the Transition to Work service. This service provides intensive assistance to young people aged 16 to 24 who have disengaged from work and study and are at risk of long-term welfare dependency. We also have funding for older women and have committed $41.7 million for a Career Transition Assistance program. This program makes it easier for mature age jobseekers and volunteers to access training to increase digital literacy, find job opportunities and identify transferable skills. I'm of an age where I understand how hard it can be when you're not a digital native. We know how hard it can be to access software programs and to upskill, and I welcome this development. There are so many women who can take advantage of this to build their confidence, to get a better job and to get back into the workplace.

The last priority is the fifth priority, and that is to support women to be safe at work and at home. We know that this is very important for empowering women and for their economic security. As we know, COVID has been particularly tough for women and children in violent households. The government recognises this and has provided $2 billion to the National Legal Assistance Partnership to support frontline legal assistance services delivered by legal aid commissions, community legal centres, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services and specialist domestic violence units and health justice partnerships. Increased funding for the Federal Circuit Court as part of the 2020-21 budget includes $12.8 million over the forward estimates in additional resourcing for family law matters. The government is further supporting women and children experiencing family and domestic violence through the $60 million Safe Places Emergency Accommodation program to provide new and expanded emergency accommodation facilities. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home, and I'm very proud of this support we're offering vulnerable women.

To close, I'd like to say that this is a budget essentially for all Australians; however, what it has nailed is a targeted and proportionate approach to the unique challenges faced by women, which the government is cognisant of. I welcome the measures in this budget that go to the heart of the five priorities set out in the Women's Economic Security Statement. We recognise that women have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognise that women are central to the healthy and robust Australian economy of the future. Australian women know we have their back.

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