Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] Of course the women of Australia have been really having a go. They were having a go before the global pandemic. There were more Australian women than men in insecure casual work and part-time work. There were more women in Australia sharing the caring responsibilities in their family home, in terms of caring for younger children and also, outside the home, in terms of caring for elderly parents who can't get a home-care package. Then, of course, we got the global pandemic. But we had more women working on the front line, again in low-paid jobs. And what did we see after the pandemic? We had platitudes from government ministers, talking about how the global pandemic and the recession in Australia had adversely impacted on women.

And then we get to the budget, and Australian women were expecting the government to recognise the hard work they put in prior to the pandemic and during the pandemic and to provide some supports for them to get back into work. But what did we get? We got no new funding to deal with the gender pay gap, we got no new funding for frontline services for family and domestic violence, we got nothing at all to deal with the superannuation gap that women have in retirement in Australia and, of course, we got nothing to reduce the impact of increased childcare fees.

Quite frankly, the women of Australia are getting fed up. They're getting fed up with all the energy and effort that they are putting in that's not being recognised by this government. They're not being recognised for that caring role that they do in the home. They're not being recognised for the fact that a lot of them took on homeschooling. They're not being recognised for the fact that they were in low-paid jobs during the pandemic, on the front line, risking themselves and their families. And now, of course, we have the issue of childcare fees.

We've seen data in recent days talking about the increase in childcare fees—4.5 per cent across the country. Here in my home state of Tasmania, there are 16,000 families, and more than 28,000 children in child care. In the last year, childcare fees have increased in Launceston by over five per cent; and, in Devonport, 8.9 per cent. These are incredible fee hikes for families who are doing it tough because of the pandemic and the recession—families who have lost income, families who are trying to juggle their family budgets.

Surely government ministers and others on that side could have a bit more empathy and done more in the budget? Instead, after criticism about their budget not supporting women, we've had female ministers come out and say, 'It's okay because the budget is gender neutral and women can drive on roads.' Yes, women can and do drive on roads. They drive on roads to drop the kids to school. They drive on roads to do the child care drop-off. They drive on roads to go to the supermarket. Women are driving on roads all the time, perhaps a disproportionate amount, but they expect much more from government than that. That is, of course, what Labor has said in the budget reply. We need to do more. Helping families with childcare fees is something tangible that actually assists to get women back into work.

But it's not just Labor who is saying that. We had evidence last night from Kate Carnell who said, 'You can't be an entrepreneur and work just three days a week. It's just not possible. The costs of child care are just too high. It's a productivity issue and it's something that needs to be addressed.' Of course, the small business ombudsman is not alone in that. Last week the government's gender equality agency told Senate estimates, 'Child care, along with other things, is a barrier for women returning to the workforce, particularly after taking parental leave.' The evidence from everybody is overwhelming that the childcare system, designed by this government and this Prime Minister, is failing Australian families. It is not worth so many families doing extra hours or extra days work because of the way the childcare system has been designed with the subsidy.

The government needs to change tact. It has taken on lots of Labor's ideas during this pandemic, such as the wage subsidy. This is another thing that it needs to look at. We would be happy if it took on Labour's ideas in terms of child care. The government simply must do better by Australian women. Australian women have been doing the hard yards. They've put in the effort. They've had a go. They now need to get a go from this government. As the Prime Minister said, 'If you're good at your job, you'll get a job.' Australian women have been really good at their jobs and they've been working incredibly hard. It's about time that they got a government that actually supports them and actually delivers on policy that supports women and their families, and supports women to start small businesses and to get back into work.

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