Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to speak on this private member's motion relating to the gender pay gap moved by my friend and office neighbour the member for Swan. Isn't it just excellent news that the national gender pay gap continues to fall under this government and has fallen to the lowest on record, some 11.5 per cent? It's no coincidence that this has occurred underneath the Albanese Labor government. We made a commitment to close the gap, and this is exactly what's happened.

Prior to my role as an MP, I worked as a professional in the community sector for 32 years in roles supporting children, young people, women and men to learn and grow and find a job. In short, these roles achieved self-determination that leads to economic participation. I've held these roles at a national, state and local level. I recently have spent the better part of the last decade working with women who are experiencing economic hardship due to domestic, family and sexual violence or an acrimonious separation. Despite the responsibility and seniority of these roles, I have always earned considerably less than my husband and other men I know who work in the community sector. It frustrated me greatly and made me feel my work and that of my female colleagues was not valued.

This government has taken real action to drive down the gender pay gap. An extra 510,000 women are now in jobs since the Albanese government came to office, with 60 per cent of these jobs full time. Women's average weekly earnings have increased by $173 a week since May 2022. We've also modernised the bargaining system, enforcing gender pay gap reporting and importantly delivering substantial pay rises for aged-care and childcare workers. These are heavily female dominated industries, and these workers absolutely deserve the pay rise they are getting.

The best part is that this is not only good for women but also good for the economy. In its report, the Women's Economic Equality Taskforce, led by the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, identified that Australia loses $28 billion per annum due to women being underemployed or unemployed. That is why closing the gender pay gap is a key ambition for Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality, which outlines the Australian government's vision for gender equality—an Australia where people are treated with respect, have choices and have access to resources and equal outcomes no matter their gender.

Alongside reducing the gender pay gap, another key part of continuing to progress gender equality is the development of a 10-year national plan to end gendered violence. The first-ever national plan will work to end domestic and family violence against women and children in a generation. This investment includes a range of measures that work to mitigate the impact that domestic family and sexual violence have on women and their safety, self-determination and financial independence. I want to commend the Albanese government, my colleagues and peers for focusing on women in their economic plan. Women are the heart of Labor's economic plan. That is loud and clear. This is good for women, good for men, good for children, good for the community and good for the economy.

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