Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that International Women's Day is celebrated annually on 8 March and that the theme for 2024 is Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress;

(2) acknowledges that the Government has made significant investments in areas to improve the lives of women by delivering more tax relief to women and making it easier to work, making childcare cheaper, expanding the Government's Paid Parental Leave Scheme and paying superannuation on this leave, investing in women's safety, improving how the industrial relations system works for women and improving pay and conditions in the care economy;

(3) welcomes the difference this is already making, noting that:

(a) the gender pay gap is now at a record low of 12 per cent;

(b) Australia has jumped up 17 places from 43rd to 26th in global gender equality rankings in the last 12 months;

(c) 60.4 per cent of women over the age of 15 are now employed, compared to 59.9 per cent in 2023;

(d) for the first time in history, Australia has a majority female Federal Government;

(e) women's wages are up; and

(f) the Government's Paid Parental Leave Scheme will be expanded to 26 weeks, with a 12 per cent superannuation contribution being paid to help boost retirement incomes for millions of mums; and

(4) congratulates the Government on releasing Australia's first ever strategy for gender equality Working for Women, which sets out a path to get us there over the next 10 years, with a focus on driving action in five priority areas:

(a) gender based violence;

(b) unpaid and paid care;

(c) economic equality and security;

(d) health; and

(e) leadership, representation and decision-making.

I'm very proud to be able to talk today about the significant investments by the Albanese Labor government to advance gender equality in Australia. The struggle to achieve gender equality is by no means new. I want to acknowledge and pay tribute to the strong women who came before me, to those who have been fighting for change long before I was born—women like the suffragettes Mary Lee and Mary Colton, who fought to change the prejudicial views that society and the law held against women, like not being able to vote. Or women like Alice Henry, a socialist who fought for women's hospitals, labour reform and disability care. Alice yearned to enter politics but couldn't, simply because she was a woman of the time. And there was Jessie Street, the great Australian diplomat, suffragette and campaigner for Indigenous rights. As Australia's only female delegate to the founding of the UN in 1945, Jessie ensured the inclusion of a clause in the UN charter forbidding gender discrimination. What incredible foresight! And I want to recognise the strong, smart and staunch Labor women who continue to fight for equality today and every day—and, indeed, all women in this parliament. However, we have lost two formidable sisters in recent months, and I pay special tribute to our colleagues Peta Murphy and Linda White.

Past women have paved the way for change and we're so grateful for the opportunities they provided for women today. Australia is now ranked 26th internationally for gender equality, up from the 43rd place we were in in 2023. We can be very proud of that. The gender pay gap is now at a record low of 12 per cent, an historical first, and we now have a majority female federal government. Sixty per cent of women over the age of 15 are now employed, compared to 59.9 per cent in 2023. These statistics speak about the progress we've made in advancing gender equality in Australia, but our progress isn't fast enough. Women are still being paid less, they retire with less and they experience high rates of violence.

We can't just hope that this gets better; we need a plan and we need to focus our energy on it. I'm proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government, which is determined about this. This government has just released Australia's first-ever strategy for gender equality, entitled Working for Women. It outlines a 10-year plan to achieve gender equality and how this government is going to get us there. The strategy focuses on targeted action in five priority areas. Gender-based violence is the most heinous crime, with women so significantly skewed to being victims. In this year alone, 19 women have been killed in Australia by acts of violence, according to Australian Femicide Watch, and we're only in March. We've committed $2.3 billion in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, and will continue to support Australia's National Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission to support and amplify the voices of people with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence, and to reduce violence against women.

Caring for children and those who need assistance is a job that falls disproportionately on women, taking many out of the workforce and into poverty. That's why we're also focused on unpaid and paid care. We've increased paid parental leave up to 26 weeks and, for the first time, women will soon be paid super on that leave. That struggle has been far too long. We've made child care cheaper, we've increased wages for aged-care workers and we're developing a national carers' strategy to deliver a national agenda to support Australia's carers. We also know that women want economic equality and that they need economic security. That's why we've given every woman taxpayer a tax cut. On average, 6.5 million women will receive an average tax cut of $1,649. We've made gender pay reporting mandatory and we're supporting more women who are raising children or who are going through change with changes to parenting payment single and the child support system. And we won't take our eyes off structural reform; we're doing a lot of work in health, leadership representation and decision-making.

I call on the House to support this motion today. We should never sit still whilst gender inequality exists in this nation.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion?

Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion regarding International Women's Day, which is celebrated annually on 8 March. I thank the member for Newcastle for bringing this motion to the House and for drawing attention to the very important day that is 8 March each year.

In my electorate of Hughes I was delighted this year to host a morning tea for more than 120 women who came together to celebrate International Women's Day. We also had quite a number of men in the room, which was great. It was an opportunity for us—the women of Hughes, the women of the shire, the women of southern Sydney—to recognise the achievements of women locally and how those achievements then feed into us progressing nationally and globally.

The theme this year for International Women's Day was 'Count her in: invest in women. Accelerate progress.' I took that as an opportunity to look at where we have come as a country and where we are currently placed. I will just mention a few stats, numbers and years. In 1902 Australia become only the second country to give women over the age of 18 the vote. Unfortunately, Indigenous women were not included in that number for decades to come. But we were the second country in the world. In 1943 Senator Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons became the first women elected into federal parliament. Women currently make up 51 per cent of our great country. Seventy per cent of carers in Australia are women. I actually checked that number, because I thought it might have been a little bit low, but it is apparently 70 per cent. Our national pay gap is 12 per cent. Women still retire on significantly less than men—about two-thirds. Among G20 nations, Australia ranks eighth for rates of domestic and family violence against women, but Australia has jumped up 17 places from 43rd to 26th on the global gender equality rankings.

We're in a position in 2024 where there is both a lot of good news but still a significant amount that we need to do. I thought therefore this would be an opportunity for me to mention particularly the range of different achievements of women across my electorate. As I said, the contributions that women make locally, which are often not recognised, feed into our contributions nationally, and that is how we can change things globally for women. I've mentioned before in this parliament the four women who were awarded my Hughes awards this year. A posthumous honour was given to Kim Livingstone. Young Woman of the Year was Tash Ransford. Woman of the Year was Paula Smith. Senior Woman of the Year was Jane Bell. But I will take this opportunity to mention just some of the women who were also nominated.

They included Sandra Hillyer, for salvaging food that would otherwise have gone to waste and delivering it to over a hundred needy families weekly for the last few years; Rachel Moore, for her commitment to education around First Nations people and culture; Claire Walsh, for revitalising the Holsworthy unit of the Girl Guides; Leanne Fretten, for her advocacy for disability rights, through Mikarie child care centre and Sylvanvale; Kellie Stubbs, for founding a local women's support group as well as actively promoting mental health through the Gotcha4Life program; Sue Kelly, for fostering more than 200 children and running a support group for foster carers; Kathryn Brennan, for her 12 years in a foundational and instrumental role at charity group Dandelion; Brooke Jensen, for raising over $400,000 for breast cancer research; Jillian Critchley, for her roles in Scouting, coral societies and educational institutions locally; Debbie Jin, for her commitment to classical music and her pivotal role as a concertmaster and soloist with the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra; Bronte Hendricks, for working with young adults with special needs and coordinating and co-founding the group Stellar Experiences; Kynwyn Thompson, for her role in the Wearne Bay Scout group at Illawong; Cheryl Scott, for her role over nearly four decades with Engadine District Girl Guides; Indiana Brown, for her contributions at the University of New South Wales in the mechanical engineering society and her role as ANSTO's engineering cadet; and Ashleigh Daines, from the Family Co., who has supported over 15,000 community members each year, particularly in the domestic and family violence area. And the list goes on and on. Across my electorate, this is just a small sample of the women making fabulous contributions, often unrecognised, day after day. These are the sorts of contributions we see that progress women both nationally and globally.

Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We all know women whose opportunities and contributions were limited because of the constraints placed around them in the time that they grew up in. For me, it's my grandmother, my ama. She was the most extraordinary woman, a widow and single mother of eight. What is even more remarkable about her story is she had to uproot her life twice, first from China to Laos and then from Laos to Australia. Because of the circumstances she grew up in, my ama had so few choices in life. She didn't get to choose a career. She didn't get to choose where to live. While her contributions in life were constrained, they were extraordinary. I am here because of her.

If my ama were alive today, I think she would have been astounded to see her granddaughter elected to our federal parliament, a feat made even more extraordinary by the fact that this is the first majority-female federal government in Australia's history. Of the 103 federal Labor parliamentarians 54 are female, and a record 10 cabinet ministers are female. This has not come about by accident. It was due to a decision by the Labor Party to introduce quotas. We see the fruits of that decision not just in the make-up our federal government; we see it in the policy decisions Labor governments have made.

It was during the Rudd-Gillard years when Labor governments introduced the country's first national plan to reduce violence against women and children and Australia's first government paid parental leave. It was the Paid Parental Leave scheme that my family directly benefited from when we had our son more than seven years ago. The first year of his life was really hard, with lots of things to feel anxious about. But we were really lucky because we didn't have to worry about our finances. That was, in large part, because of the paid parental leave schemes from my employer and the government. It meant I didn't have to rush back to work. I could make the choice to take a full year off to look after my son. It makes me so proud that I am now part of the Albanese Labor government that is improving that paid parental leave scheme. We are expanding it to 26 weeks by 2026, with four of those weeks reserved for the second parent to encourage both parents to participate in the care of their child. From 1 July 2025, superannuation will be paid on that leave.

This is on top of all the work we are doing to improve gender equality, including making child care more affordable, funding a 15 per cent pay rise for aged-care workers, introducing paid family and domestic violence leave, making gender equality an object of the Fair Work Act and legislating to improve transparency and reporting of the gender pay gap. I am proud to see our work is paying off. In 2021 on the World Economic Forum's global gender gap index Australia had slipped to number 50 in the world. We were sandwiched between Georgia and Suriname, a long way behind the United States, ranked 30, Canada, ranked 24, and the UK, ranked 23. I am so glad to see that with the changes from the Albanese Labor government we have seen significant improvement on gender equality. Australia has jumped to 26 on the global gender equality rankings. ABS data released in February this year showed the gender pay gap was at its lowest level on record under the Albanese Labor government, at 12 per cent. It's still too large, but it has fallen by 2.1 per cent since we came to government. That is the Labor legacy I get to be part of.

Labor women have come before me in our federal parliament. They pushed through important policy changes that had a direct impact on my life. They inspired me and helped pave the way for my own pathway into politics. What excites me most is the knowledge that Labor women will come after me, building on the legacy the first majority-female federal government has made. That is something that I feel exceptionally proud to be a part of and something I'm really looking forward to seeing: young women getting involved in politics because they can see there is an opportunity for them to make a difference, as those women who came before me did and as we are trying to do now.

Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the member for Newcastle's motion to recognise International Women's Day, noting that its theme in 2024 is Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress. In doing so, I acknowledge several recent pieces of legislation which have addressed gender inequity in this country. These bills have lowered the cost of child care, invested in women's safety, improved pay and conditions in feminised industries, increased paid parental leave and, most recently, added a 12 per cent superannuation contribution to PPL for the first time. Along with my independent colleagues, I've been pushing the government to act on gender equity in this country. We have all been extremely supportive of this legislative program. However, the residual gender pay gap of 12 per cent is still 12 per cent too much. We have to continue to work to place men and women in this country on an equal economic and social footing.

Around the same time that the HECS student loan program was introduced, in 1989, several traditionally feminised professions, like teaching and nursing, were absorbed into the university system and immediately became much more expensive to study. Furthermore, degrees like teaching, nursing and social work often require hundreds of hours of unpaid work placements to complete. In contrast, male dominated trade apprenticeships, which remain in the vocational education and training system, are paid. In fact, they often attract government subsidies and even fee-free places.

Thirty-five years on, more and more Australians have a HECS debt which they are struggling to pay off. Those challenges are greater for women. While the average male HECS debt is higher than the average female HECS debt, most men earn higher incomes as soon as they graduate and repay their HECS debts much more quickly than women. To make things more difficult, in 2019 the Morrison government lowered the salary threshold at which compulsory HELP repayments kick in. Sixty-four per cent of those newly required to pay their HECS debts were women, and because repayments are calculated as a percentage of total income, not as a percentage of income above the threshold, those HECS repayments increase significantly even with small increases in income. The challenge is then exacerbated by the loss of supports like the family tax benefit at around the same time as the higher tax rates, HECS repayments and the Medicare levy kick in. That's not to mention that APRA now recommends that HECS debts be taken into account when assessing suitability for car and home loans. How this ends up is that, of those with student debts, 60 per cent are women, and women hold 58 per cent of the total debt. Teachers and nurses, both female dominated professions, carry the biggest repayment burden of any group in our society. Women generally have lower paying jobs. It takes us longer to repay our HECS debt, and our repayment periods are often extended by parental leave periods. The indexation of HECS debts during those extended repayment periods adds insult to injury.

Futurity, an independent finance company, recently reported that more than two thirds of university graduates have HECS debts into their 30s and 51 per cent are still paying off their HECS debt in their 40s. Almost 60 per cent of people report that their debt affects their ability to buy a home, and 16 per cent of young adults say that they are unable to afford medical and dental treatments because of their HECS debt.

The HECS-HELP system is actively exacerbating structural financial inequities in this country. We know what needs doing. Firstly and most urgently, we have to modify how HECS debts are indexed. We have to ensure that HECS repayments are based on the marginal income, like our income tax system, and we have to stop banks from considering them in the same light as other forms of debt. If this government is serious about addressing and remediating gender inequity, it needs to ensure that our tax and education systems don't disadvantage women who are trying to nurture their careers at the same time as they're trying to nurture their families.

Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since assuming office in 2022, the Australian Labor Party has championed women's economic empowerment as a fundamental pillar of our national agenda. For the first time in our nation's history, we boast a majority-women federal Labor caucus, with a record number of women occupying seats in cabinet. This milestone isn't just symbolic; it's transformative. Having women in positions of leadership isn't just about representation; it's about driving tangible change.

This can be seen by the legislative actions undertaken by the Minister for Finance and Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, who in March 2023 signed into legislation a law which made it mandatory for companies to release their gender pay data. This marks a systemic shift in how we measure and address gender parity in the workforce. This year, that data was released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. For far too long, gender pay gaps have silently existed, hindering women's full participation in the economy.

The unveiling of this data reveals a stark reality. Across all sectors, half of employers show a gender pay gap exceeding nine per cent, with some of the largest entities recording discrepancies of over 40 per cent. The public naming and shaming of companies with significant gender pay gaps serves as a powerful incentive for change, compelling companies to confront and rectify gender pay disparities head on. The average national gender pay gap still stands at 12 per cent, translating to women earning $252 less per week than their male counterparts. Even though this is the lowest gap in history, we need to recognise that these aren't just numbers. They represent the lived experiences of millions of women across our nation.

Through successive budgets, Labor has made significant investments to boost support for women in various aspects of life. Through increased child care funding, extended paid parental leave, enhancing women's safety measures and advocating for equitable wages, we have seen more women join the workforce than ever before. This has meant 60.4 per cent of women over 15 are now in the workforce, up from 59.9 per cent in 2023. By prioritising gender-sensitive policies, we not only advance the economic interests of women but also foster a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

For instance, Labor's cost-of-living tax cuts will directly benefit 90 per cent of taxpaying women, putting more money back into their pockets. The expansion of superannuation to paid parental leave will also help close the retirement wealth gap between women and men. With women taking time off to raise children, they take valuable time out of the workforce during vital, early years of saving. This policy will contribute an extra $2,700 towards their retirement savings. For a woman in her late 20s who takes the full 26 weeks of paid parental leave under Labor's extended scheme, this could result in an extra $55,000 of retirement savings.

Looking ahead, Labor is committed to developing a comprehensive national strategy for gender equality. This strategy will serve as our roadmap—a blueprint for building a future where every woman has the opportunity to thrive and succeed unburdened by the constraints of gender bias and discrimination. It is upon all of us to ensure that every woman is accorded the same opportunities, rights and dignities as their male counterparts. Together, let us strive towards a future where gender equity isn't just an aspiration but a reality for all Australians.

Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the member for Newcastle's motion, which identifies this government's investment in areas to improve the lives of women. While there have been some positive developments during the time of this 47th parliament, systems in this country remain riddled with gender bias, which perpetuates inequality for women. Every day, women are having to choose between violence and poverty. Single mothers are navigating debts from the weaponisation of child support. Mothers are staying home to care for their children because not working is more affordable than child care. Female employees are watching male counterparts receive promotions to senior leadership roles that should be theirs were it not for the fact that they are likely to have children in the near future. Women affected by intersectionality, including culturally diverse backgrounds, variability, health disorders or low-socioeconomic backgrounds, are experiencing these issues disproportionately.

In recent months, we have seen some positive news, including Australia's first ever strategy for gender equality, and I thank the government for that work. I believe we are seeing a commitment that simply has not existed under previous governments, and I am truly grateful for that. But the news that this government intends to legislate for the payment of superannuation on all forms of paid parental leave is particularly exciting. Yet I note this reform is only provisioned from July 2025, which means this government will need to win a second term for it to be realised.

Despite all of this progress, the fact remains that women in Australia face broad-ranging gender inequality despite the fact that, under article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—to which Australia is a signatory— everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security. Systematic gender bias continues to leave many women facing precarious economic situations, and misaligned systems trap women in cycles of poverty and compound exclusion from economic participation. In fact, if current working patterns continue, the average 25-year-old woman today who has at least one child can expect to earn at least $2 million less over her lifetime than the average 25-year-old man who becomes a father. At the same time, women would need to work an additional 44 days to earn the same as men.

For many women, it costs less not to work and stay home to care for their children, while paid care work, which is often performed in feminised sectors, is undervalued. This is true in my electorate of North Sydney, where child care is some of the most expensive in the country and where many who work in the care sector are struggling to balance their budgets. This is despite the government's cheaper childcare package and recent increase in the award rate for aged-care workers. To this, I say: care work must be properly valued in this country.

I also want to take this opportunity to advocate for universal access to early childhood services and benefits for Australian families and for the extension of the Paid Parental Leave Scheme to 52 weeks, boosting the quantum of payments to reach a replacement wage. The national gender pay gap in this country still stands at 12 per cent. While being at an all-time low, it's nothing to be proud of.

In addressing women's economic security, we must also acknowledge the undeniable links to women's safety. In the 12 weeks since this year began, 16 women have already lost their lives to domestic violence, with the shocking truth that intimate partner violence is the main cause of illness and death in women aged 18 to 44 in this country. In my own community of North Sydney, everyday crisis services are stretched beyond capacity, and the need for the Staying Home Leaving Violence program has never been greater. Yet this program is not funded in any of the local government areas on the North Shore or the northern beaches.

I reiterate my calls for statewide funding of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program in New South Wales and the equivalent in all other states and territories. While I make this call, women continue to be gravely underrepresented in senior leadership roles across the country, and I fear that the ears that need to be listening may not be open. It is heartening to see the government strengthening targets for women's representation on Australian government boards and advisory bodies, but we must see women offered at least half the seats at every table.

In conclusion, women's rights are human rights. Everyone is entitled to rights and freedoms that fall from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights without distinction of any kind, including sex. However, that is not the case in Australia. Without a human rights legal framework, human rights are minimally protected here. If Australia had a human rights act, it would ensure that the federal parliament would consider the different needs of women and others from diverse backgrounds when designing law and policy. Personally, I don't think that reform can come soon enough, as it would benefit not only women but all Australians.

Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.