Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

To build an economy that truly works for everyone, we must ensure it works for women, and an economy that works for women must deliver wage parity. The Albanese government is committed to this goal. I would like to thank the member for Swan, who has moved this important motion. The Albanese government recognises that, while we have made significant strides towards closing the gender pay gap, there is still much more work to be done. However, the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the Albanese government is on the right track. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, with Australia's national gender pay gap now reaching its lowest point on record. Since the Albanese government came to office, it has fallen from 14.1 per cent in May 2022 to 11.5 per cent today. That's no fluke. It's no coincidence. It's because our government has taken action to ban pay secrecy clauses, modernised the bargaining system, enforced transparent gender pay gap reporting and delivered pay rises for aged-care and early childhood educators.

In my electorate of Corangamite, early years educator and amazing United Workers Union advocate Raelee Fechner told my office that the pay rise for early years educators will be an absolute game changer. She said: 'It's a good move. Some educators are working two or three jobs and, with this pay rise, they will have a much better work-life balance.' For this feminised sector which is facing worker shortages, this significant pay rise is meaningful progress and it will put a dent in the gender pay gap. It will mean more mums who are working as early childhood educators will be better rewarded for the incredible work they do. More than that, soon-to-be mums will now have access to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave by July 2026 under our government. On top of that, women will also be paid superannuation on paid parental leave. It will not be just women, but it will make a difference to the gender pay gap. We're investing $1.1 billion over four years to make this a reality.

This Labor government is doing this because we understand that families cannot always afford or access formal caregiving—child care, elder care or home care. For those families, women are often the ones to step up, and when women step up they usually reduce their working hours, leave the workforce or juggle multiple jobs, both paid and unpaid. That's why we're expanding paid parental leave. It's why we're boosting wages for feminised workforces and it's why we'll pay super on paid parental leave.

These measures will go a long way to closing the gender pay gap. As a result, women can have greater confidence in having a family and returning to work in a timely way—a way that enables women to have a family if they choose, build a career, boost their super and continue to earn a good wage. On women's wages: since we came to government, women's average weekly earnings have increased by more than $173. We've secured record pay rises for women on award wages, fixed the bargaining system to get wages moving in feminised industries and changed workplace laws to put gender equity at the heart of the Fair Work Commission's decision-making. This is despite the opposition opposing almost every single one of our measures.

At the same time that the gap has narrowed, an extra 510,000 women are now in jobs since the Albanese government came to office, with 60 per cent of these jobs being full-time. We're also delivering a bigger tax cut for 90 per cent of Australian women taxpayers, much bigger than the former coalition government had promised.

In closing, closing the gender pay gap is not only a moral imperative; it also means there will be a larger pool of workers to fill jobs and grow our economy. Ensuring fair pay and equal opportunities for women strengthens our economy and enriches our society because, when women do well, we all do well.

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