Kimberley Kitching (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the answers given by Senator Cormann today. The minister's answers reveal, in stark terms, the complete failure of the shambolic Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government to understand the problems facing working women in Australia today. That's not surprising, because the government have no interest in working women, do nothing to promote talented women and do not respect the women they do have in this place. That's why Julie Bishop, the member for Curtin, the most high-profile woman in the coalition parties, polled only 11 votes when she contested the Liberal leadership; that's why the member for Chisholm has been driven out of parliament; and it's why the member for Gilmore is quitting politics.

In 1994, the coalition parties had more women in this parliament than Labor did. On both sides, fewer than 20 per cent of members were women. Today, more than 45 per cent of Labor members are women, while the coalition is still stuck on 20 per cent. They are on track with their current preselections to ensure Australia has fewer women in the parliament than they have in the Saudi Arabian legislature. This is not just a matter of symbolism; it explains why the coalition government disregards issues of primary importance to women. It explains the policy vacuum revealed by Senator Cormann's answers today. It's why the coalition government is doing nothing to address the gross inequalities that still face working women today, still face older women and still face retired women in Australia.

Far too many older Australian women are living in poverty despite having worked for most of their lives. This is because women disproportionately work in lower-paid jobs, because many women are still not getting equal pay for equal work—which is an utter disgrace—and because many women take time out from work to raise children, a task which still falls almost entirely on women.

But there is good news. A Shorten Labor government, if elected, will help women plan for a secure financial future. It will strengthen Australia's superannuation system and boost women's superannuation balances. In summary, the measures will pay superannuation on Commonwealth paid parental leave and dad and partner payments. They will phase out the $450 minimum monthly income threshold for eligibility for the Superannuation Guarantee. They will make it easier for employers to make extra payments into a woman's superannuation fund, and they will consider the impact that any future changes to super that might occur might have on women.

One of the effects of the current superannuation system is that women retire with $113,000 less, on average, in their super than men. The average superannuation balance at the moment for women upon retirement is $157,000. For men, it's $270,000. Older women, particularly single, divorced or widowed women, are more dependent than men on the aged pension. Older women are the fastest-growing cohort of homeless in Australia. In our large cities and, indeed, in smaller towns, we have seen an increase in homelessness. In the city of Melbourne, my hometown, you can see this on the streets in the CBD area.

The coalition government won't even acknowledge these realities, let alone do anything about them. This is a government which has little knowledge of and interest in the lives of working Australians, particularly working women. This 'muppet show' of a government is more interested in its own internal feuds and hatreds than it is in the lives of Australian women.

Labor understands the lives of working women. They are the people we represent in our electorates. They are the union members. They are the women who have responsibilities in trade unions. They are the women in our branches. They are the strong and capable women who we have brought into this parliament and elected to senior positions. Some of the best women in all of the parliaments of the world are Labor members and senators in this very parliament, and we should be very proud of that. We are never going to treat issues of importance to women as second-order issues, as this coalition does. The other part of this policy change is that we will amend the Sex Discrimination Act to ensure that businesses are able to make higher superannuation payments for female employees if they wish to do so. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.