Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

Again, I thank Senator Chandler for this very important question. I'm extremely glad she asked about changes over time because, at present, the gender pay gap is at a record low. It's at the record low of 13.4 per cent. Australian women know that it is only coalition government policies that drive the gender pay gap lower. When the coalition left government in 2007, the gender pay gap was 15.4 per cent, and it was on its way down. However, when Labor came to government, they oversaw a rise in the gender pay gap. The gender pay gap actually widened as high as 17.4 per cent. That's right: the gender pay gap in Australia went up considerably under a Labor government, and it's taken a coalition government to get this figure back on the right trajectory, heading down once again. We won't stop here. In the 2021-22 budget we announced a targeted review of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, with the aim to push the gender pay gap even lower. (Time expired)