Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of this amendment. I appreciate the consideration given to me by the minister and his office and the inclusion in this amendment of gender in the context of labour market disadvantage and exclusion. This amendment may seem a small step for women, but it should have significant implications. I hope that, apart from anything else, it's a sign that this government will be taking every possible step to enhance women's participation in the workforce for the sake of not only productivity and our prosperity but also gender equity.

As I said at the time of the Jobs and Skills Summit, the government must not become bedazzled by the high-viz side of the workforce, leaving the pink workforce at home yet again. As has previously been said, employers are bemoaning labour shortages in many sectors of the economy. For example, a survey of 6½ thousand mainly female retail workers conducted by the University of New South Wales found that 35 per cent of mothers surveyed would work more hours if the rosters were more predictable. The SDA estimates that there is a pool of at least 40,000 underemployed, mainly female, retail workers, and it's much the same story in aged care.

Empowering women to work must be central to all legislation and all policy. I've said in this place that all legislation should include a gender impact statement, and this amendment to the legislation and the explanatory memorandum effectively does that. It means that Jobs and Skills Australia and its commissioner should have a laser focus on empowering women to enter the workforce, because women are done with being secondary.

At a time when we have chronic workforce shortages, there is no more appropriate moment to shift the dial. Businesses large and small, across my electorate of Goldstein, are crying out for staff. It is crimping their ability to recover from the ravages of the COVID pandemic, inhibiting their ability to contribute to our return to a high-growth economy. While I welcome employers and unions joining forces to promote more support for apprentices, we all know that with few exceptions, like hairdressing, trades are overwhelmingly male dominated.

Highly feminised industries must be revalued. This means closing the gender wage gap and providing ready opportunities for enhancing skills to recognise the importance of their jobs. It means providing cheap, affordable, accessible child care and early childhood education so that women and children—and, indeed, families—can thrive. It means supporting the proposals of the member for Warringah, in her motion today, to provide at least 26 weeks of paid parental leave, to set the beginning of next year as the start date for lowering the cost of early childhood education.

A decade ago, the Grattan Institute found that an extra six per cent of women in the workforce would increase GDP by $25 billion. KPMG modelling in 2018 found that halving the gap between male and female workforce participation would increase GDP by $60 billion by 2038. What are we waiting for? It's a question of priorities. As Grattan's Danielle Wood put it:

… if untapped women's workforce participation was a massive ore deposit, we would have governments lining up to … get it out of the ground.

It's time to finally ensure that women get the opportunities they want and we as a parliament do everything possible to make sure they do.

This amendment is one small but effective step and I look forward to the parliament doing much more. I thank the minister, once again, for his consideration and I commend the amendment to the House.

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