Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you look at this chamber, you could assume 57 is the average age of male politicians or the year that some of them were born. You might assume 57 is the number of times the Prime Minister mentioned Labor yesterday in question time or the Opposition Leader's name. It is actually a lot more cynical. On budget night, the government announced a very small tax cut for people earning less than $40,000—and 57 per cent of those workers are women. It says a lot about this government that they would rather give a banker, in a predominantly male industry, a tax cut of $11,000 a week tax but a woman working in retail a tax cut of about $250 a year. That is the kind of government that we've got. This is a government that will prioritise their own mates and themselves. And is it any wonder, given who is on the government benches? Take a look. Whether it be the economic team, the frontbench or the backbench, they are dominated by men. They govern for men. They are not governing for Australian women. Bring on this election so we can elect a government that will show gender equality and fair opportunity for everybody regardless of whether they are a man or a woman. (Time expired)