Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Around the world, progress towards gender equality has been extraordinary and awe inspiring, but at the same time deeply disappointing and dispiriting. Why the mixed emotions? Because it is an incredibly mixed bag of outcomes. On the whole, there has been slow and steady progress towards gender equality in so many countries. However, in some countries that progress has stalled or we've seen a dangerous backslide.

In the United States, some women are being denied access to reproductive health care. Girls in Afghanistan are being denied access to secondary education. Iranian women face the threat of violence daily. The regression of rights for these women is deeply distressing, and we stand in solidarity with women around the world fighting to make our society more equal. For me, these world events are also a reminder that progress is neither linear nor guaranteed. Unfortunately, the rights our mothers and grandmothers fought so hard for can be taken away if we do not actively and persistently fight for them.

Here in Australia, with the change of government in May there was a pivot towards recognising the value of gender equality. This government has placed gender equality at the heart of what we do. It's an approach that spans the entire government. We have set ourselves an ambitious goal: to make Australia one of the most gender-equal countries in the world.

It's important to outline two of the critical policy decisions made by this government in just its first six months. From July next year the childcare subsidy rates will lift for 96 per cent of families using care. It's good for parents—mostly mothers—who are getting back into work. It's good for children because they have access to that great early education and it sets them up for life. It's good for our economy by increasing productivity. It was our single largest election commitment in our most recent budget.

We know women are not getting a fair deal when it comes to pay. On average, a woman working full time earns $263 less per week than a man working full time. The gender pay gap has remained at around 14 per cent for far too long. We must do better, and this government will do better. That's why the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 is so important. It goes directly to the core of the problem. It makes gender equity and job security an object of our industrial relations framework. It ensures the Fair Work Commission factors in gender equity when considering the minimum wage and changing awards. But it does much more than just change the function of the commission. It gives workers in those highly feminised industries the ability to secure the benefits of enterprise bargaining.

No longer should it be the case that female-dominated industries receive the minimum award rate and male-heavy industries receive better enterprise agreements. There's more to do, and we need to recognise the varying and sometimes more acute impact of gender inequality on Indigenous women, women from culturally diverse backgrounds, women with disabilities and older women, but this is a government that is starting to take those important steps. It's not a coincidence that these significant changes have been made when, for the first time in our country's history, we have a majority female federal government. Fifty-four of the 103 government senators and members of parliament are women. It is the most diverse government our country has ever had, which means it better reflects the communities we aim to represent. That is significant because it means our policies are better for the community.

An honourable member: Well said!

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