Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Community Services ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(nternational Women's Day has always been an important date for me, but this has been a particularly significant week of celebrations as I have participated in my first International Women's Day as the Minister for the Status of Women. This year's theme in Australia was Supporting Women's Economic Empowerment, whilst the international theme was Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures. It has involved policy launches and vigorous discussions about how women can do more to recognise and celebrate women's achievements and to promote gender equality.

This morning, I co-hosted the Federal Parliamentary International Women's Day Breakfast of UN Women Australia—and parliament is a good place to start when we're talking about reform to improve gender equality. Today, for the first time in our country's history, we have a female Prime Minister, a female Governor-General, and the highest proportion of women in the ministry, at 26.7 per cent. This is better than the world's average of 16.7 per cent, but there is still unfinished work.

At a news conference last week, during proceedings of the Commission on the Status of Women, Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, emphasised the importance of women's political participation. She stated that women's participation in politics and the economy reinforces women's civil, political and economic rights and strengthens democracy, equality and the economy. Women's representation in our federal parliament is, in fact, stagnating. Women hold 38.2 per cent of the seats in the Senate and 24.7 per cent of those in the House of Representatives. We as a parliament must work to promote the increased representation of women in politics in the interest of gender equality and women's empowerment.

On this point, I am pleased to say the Australian Labor Party is doing its bit, meeting the target of 30 per cent of women in parliament set by the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women. Of our party's 31 current senators, 14, or 45 per cent, are women and there are 23 ALP women in the House of Representatives—31.9 per cent of the party's total number of MPs. The smaller representation of women in the lower house does show that women are still missing out on safe or winnable seats. Women's total representation in the lower house fell from the record high of 27.3 per cent in the previous parliament to 24.7 per cent at the last election. Michelle Bachelet's message on the importance of women's equal participation in politics is remarkably cogent for our situation. It reinforces our focus for today—and for every day—which is to break down the barriers to gender equality and to support and encourage women's economic empowerment.

Of course, men and boys have a role to play in gender equality alongside and in partnership with women and girls. The outcome of the 23rd Special Session of the UN General Assembly of 2000 stressed the need to increase research on men's and boys' roles and on the stereotyping of girls and boys. It emphasised that men must take joint responsibility with women for the promotion of gender equality. Women in every part of the world continue to be largely marginalised, often as a result of discriminatory laws, practices and attitudes but also as a result of poverty disproportionately affecting women.

Many women experience financial insecurity throughout their lifetime. We know that women's lifetime earnings are generally less than men's, and that women are much more vulnerable to poverty in retirement. Unfortunately, women in 2012 still struggle to gain senior leadership positions and they earn less pay, have less superannuation, and do more than their share of unpaid work. Recent research has found that closing the gap between women's and men's workforce participation could increase Australia's GDP by 13 per cent—so it is also an economic imperative.

This government is committed to advancing gender equality by supporting women's economic empowerment. The recent introduction of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill into the parliament is the latest example of the significant inroads that we are making though our progressive reforms. The name of the new act—the Workplace Gender Equality Act—reflects our objective for equality for women and men. It will help increase women's participation in the workforce and their economic empowerment by addressing the unequal burden of caring responsibilities. Both women and men will have equal options to balance their paid work and caring obligations. It also focuses on equal remuneration, recognising that closing the gender pay gap is central to achieving equality. That gap, for the record, remains one of the highest in three decades at 17.6 per cent. This government also introduced Australia's first national paid parental leave scheme—giving families the flexibility to make their own decisions about balancing paid work and family life. Around 150,000 families have now accessed the scheme.

We have also increased the rebate for out-of-pocket childcare expenses from 30 to 50 per cent—which is now benefiting around 800,000 families. This reform is having a significant impact on the take-home wages of women returning to work. In 2004, the out-of-pocket costs for a family with one child in long day care and earning $55,000 a year were 13.2 per cent of their disposable income—by last year this proportion had fallen to 7.5 per cent.

We have also made a commitment to achieve pay equity. The historic decision of Fair Work Australia to award equal remuneration to social and community sector workers is a significant advance for women.

Other achievements include amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act to make it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of family responsibilities, and the introduction of a new Superannuation Roundtable to improve retirement incomes and superannuation.

I was also extremely proud to launch Australia's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security at Sydney's Garden Island on International Women's Day. Australia will do more as a global partner to ensure the rights and voices of women and girls are protected and promoted. The plan will also work towards the full involvement of women in the peace process. This plan is the result of a combined effort by the Australian government and non-government organisations and I thank them for their input.

A major barrier to economic empowerment for Australian women is the violence and harassment they experience at home, on the street and at work. The rates of domestic, family and sexual violence experienced by Australian women and their children are unacceptable. To become a stronger and more just society we must ensure women are liberated from living in fear of violence. The Gillard government last year launched Australia's $86 million National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. It is a 12-year strategy to reduce the amount of violence in our communities, to support survivors of violence and to prevent violence.

But, just as we celebrate advances, we are all too often reminded of how far we still have to go for women and girls to receive the respect and be treated with the dignity they deserve. This morning I announced that the Australian government is providing the Australian Red Cross with an additional $1.2 million to help victims of human trafficking, under the Australian government's Support for Trafficked People program. The tragic reality in 2012 is that trafficking exists and we must ensure survivors receive the compassionate and practical care they need to help them heal and rebuild their lives. Most victims have been women working in the sex industry but an increasing number are being brought to Australia for forced marriage. Forced marriage has no place in Australia and that is why my colleague the Attorney-General is introducing laws into parliament to criminalise the practice. I thank the Australian Red Cross for the remarkable job it does in helping victims recover from the trauma of human trafficking. This extra funding brings the Gillard government's support for the Red Cross program to $4.22 million over four years.

Much has changed since the first International Women's Day in 1911. In the past 50 years, women's workforce participation has risen from 34 per cent to around 60 per cent. There are 5.2 million women in jobs in Australia today, comprising around 46 per cent of the workforce. Australia is at the forefront of global efforts to achieve gender empowerment. There is a groundswell of support—particularly in businesses and in industries that perform well, as they come to realise the benefits that gender equality confers.

The Gillard government is redressing the economic imbalances women have inherited over centuries, by combining good economic policy with innovative social policy. I look forward to continuing to work with employers, unions and non-government organisations to promote and advance gender equality for all women in Australia. And I look forward to next year's report on International Women's Day being one of more achievements and progress.

I ask leave of the House to move a motion to enable the member for Farrer to speak for nine minutes.

Leave granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent Ms Ley speaking in reply to the ministerial statement for a period not exceeding nine minutes.

Question agreed to.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to respond to the statement by the Minister for the Status of Women reflecting on some of the themes and actions around International Women's Day. It is a day that provides the opportunity for all of us to reflect on the freedoms that we enjoy in Australia. Too many women around the world are denied the opportunities that Australian women may take for granted every day. Whilst we have come a long way on our quest for gender equality, we have some way to go. There are portions of what the minister said that I agree with wholeheartedly. I would certainly concur with my female colleagues here that we do, as a gender, in many respects, in many theatres of the world, particularly in the developing world, have a long way to go.

In my life before politics, I first trained as a pilot. Regrettably, in those days the major airlines refused to hire female pilots, so my dreams of piloting a 747 have not been realised. I should add that I possibly was not up to the mark either. I do not want to present it as: 'I should have and I didn't.' Fortunately, in my political career I have never felt hindered as a result of my gender. I am a member of a party that promotes its people based on merit, not mandate, and for this I am very thankful. I have to question the validity of advancing gender equality through the mechanism of quotas. I agree that we should have more women in key decision-making roles. I would love to see more women on the boards of ASX 500 companies. However, quotas are not the solution and may in fact work to have some believe that women are only in their positions to meet a target.

Every time I meet a woman who is in a position because of a quota or because there is an understanding that 'We've got a board of 11 people; we'd better have one woman,' they are of course always totally capable and should have got there based on aspects of their performance that had nothing to do with their gender. But there is often an unwritten gender equality requirement. That is something that the government are pushing; they are not necessarily writing it in black and white, but they are making agencies report very strongly around it. I do not think that is helpful. I think it is actually going to make the women who end up in those positions feel somehow devalued. Let me emphasise that, every time I meet them, I know that there should be several more of them on their particular boards.

We need to realistically consider why women are not currently filling these roles. It is certainly not a lack of education or ability. Instead the problem often arises when women take time out to start a family

When preparing to return to work, many realise that the available childcare options may not suit their work schedules or may be cost prohibitive. We need the appropriate support structures in place to ensure that women can return to work.

On this 101st anniversary of International Women's Day, the focus in Australia is on economic empowerment for women. Economic empowerment is critical to ensuring a society where gender equality is not just a catchphrase but a reality. The coalition is committed to economic empowerment. We have proposed a paid parental leave scheme that will provide real economic benefit. Not only will our scheme provide women with replacement income for 26 weeks but it also provides for superannuation. Research indicates that Australian women retire with 40 per cent less superannuation than men, indicating a significant gender imbalance. A large part of this disparity stems from the time that women take off to have their children. By incorporating superannuation into paid parental leave we go some way towards addressing this. If this government were truly committed to pursuing gender equality they would match the coalition's commitment to mandatory superannuation contributions as a component of their Paid Parental Leave scheme. Indeed, if this minister and this government want to prove their commitment to equal remuneration, then I would certainly applaud this as a small step. Remuneration is not just what is received in one's pay packet but what sets you up for your retirement. I would further applaud them if they did adopt the coalition's proposal for paid parental leave—granting that replacement wage for 26 weeks, just like an annual leave entitlement, a long service leave entitlement or a sick leave entitlement. Alas, I fear that this government is all talk and no action on the topic of equal remuneration. The gender pay gap remains real and large in this country and is currently at a 30-year high.

Yet, really, despite the challenges we face, they pale into insignificance when compared to the struggle faced by women in other countries. In many countries across the globe women face challenges that we can scarcely imagine in Australia. Boys are often far more prized than girls and sex selective infanticide is still practised in a number of countries where parents want only male heirs. In other countries women are denied the right to an education. In Afghanistan girls have been killed or tortured for attending school and teachers executed for daring to educate women. The United Nations theme for this year is 'Empower Rural Women—End Hunger and Poverty', and education will be a critical pathway towards reducing the gender gap.

In addition to limited or no education opportunities, women in developing countries often struggle to access credit. Fortunately, organisations such as Grameen Bank have helped to increase access to funds. Ninety-seven per cent of Grameen Bank's clients are women. Certainly this is a step in the right direction for empowering women in the developing world. Countries like Australia have an important role to play. As a nation we need to voice our concerns at human rights abuses, wherever they may occur. The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Warringah, has pledged that, when elected, a coalition government will increase the number of women-at-risk visas in Australia's refugee intake, with a minimum of 1,000 places a year dedicated for women and their dependents who are at risk. These are some of the most vulnerable women, women who have been subjected to the most horrific lives or to torture and suffering.

As a country Liberal, and being very proud of my electorate of Farrer, I want to mention the women of Farrer in a special way today. Parts of my electorate are currently under water. Sixty homes in Lockhart flooded, the entire township of Urana was told to evacuate and a quarter of the houses in The Rock were inundated with floodwater. Yet the communities stand firm, women beside men, demonstrating a stoicism that has been born of a lifetime of struggles on the land. The women in these communities are a true inspiration. They have an ethos of courage and compassion. It is women like these women of Farrer who have helped empower generations of Australian women. I thank them and admire them.

I would like to end today by reiterating my concern for the setting of targets and quotas as a means for achieving gender equity. We would be far better placed progressing gender equity through education and a changing of attitudes. Sexism does still pervade some workplaces, but we have come a long way. Women made up 58 per cent of the domestic students in higher education in 2009. Women are increasingly taking up opportunities to work in formerly male dominated industries, such as mining. We still have work to do, but we can be proud of how far we have come.