Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I reject any assertion that I don't support women or working women or women's safety, and I have spoken about that. A big part of my career in public life has been focused on improving the lives of women, particularly around women's safety. In relation to the bill that was before the parliament this morning, as the representing minister said, the government recognises the issue that was put forward in the bill and the motivation behind the bill. We understand that there are ongoing discussions between the relevant parties within the organisation and we're not going to pre-empt the outcome of those discussions. That's why the government isn't supporting the bill.

But I'm not going to sit here and in any way accept the fact that we are not a government that is focused on women's safety or on improving the lives of women, whether it be in health, whether it be at work, whether it be in economic security, whether it be ending violence against women and children, whether it be supporting the work that Minister Rishworth does, whether it be in working with the states and territories. I have a women's ministers meeting tomorrow where women's safety is a standing item. I am involved in other ministerial councils. I put women's safety on the agenda of those to make sure that they are being driven through other councils, including data and digital ministers, to make sure that we are doing everything we can to improve women's safety, reduce the amount of violence and improve working women's conditions.

I'm very well aware of the suffrage movement through the union movement. All of us have been involved in that for all of our careers. We don't need someone to lecture us on that. It is part of our DNA. It is a part of the organisations we represent. We're proud of that. We're proud of being Labor people, and we're proud of the union movement and the work that women have done within the union movement. (Time expired)