Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night I congratulated Lisa Wilkinson on the remarkable success she has achieved at Today. It's fitting that, after a decade of breaking news, grilling politicians and asking Australians to look at the world in a different way, her final act at Today was to put the national spotlight on the gender pay gap—a measure of inequality that shamefully has barely moved in 30 years.

Compared to their male colleagues, Australian women effectively work the first two months of every year for free. And, of course, we know that gender inequality doesn't stop at wages. Too many Australian women at work are denied opportunities for leadership roles because of their gender and are patronised and passed over for promotions in favour of less qualified men. We know that, far too often, inequality in pay and opportunity is matched by discrimination or sexual harassment. The #MeToo movement gathering force online demonstrates how many women around the world have confronted this scourge in their careers.

All of these issues deserve more attention from our parliament, but on this occasion I simply say to Lisa: good on you! Good on you for following your principles. There are millions of Australian women who would have taken a small measure of comfort from your actions. I hope this morning, for the first time in 10 years, you enjoyed a well-deserved sleep in.