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

I thank Senator Green for the question and yes, I can, because those on this side of the chamber know how important it is to drive women's economic independence and improve women's economic security. That is why, when the tax cuts come in, in just days, there will be not only a tax cut for every taxpayer but a bigger tax cut for 95 per cent of women compared with the tax cuts that were previously designed. So, there will be more tax cuts going to more women.

I note that the former Prime Minister said, when asked about the original stage 3 tax cuts, 'You don't fill out pink forms or blue forms for your tax return.' But, again, on this side of the chamber we know that how much you earn, how the tax system interacts with that and therefore how tax cuts are designed does matter to women; it matters enormously to women. So, 90 per cent of women who pay tax will be better off. That's 5.8 million Australian women. On average, women taxpayers will receive a tax cut of $1,650, which is about $700 more than they were going to receive under the former government's tax plan. Childcare workers, disability carers, aged-care workers, nurses and teachers are amongst those occupations that will benefit the most. These are the occupations, of course, as we know, that have high levels of women workers. In those occupations, the workforces are around 80 per cent women on average—vital industries that contribute to our economy, our community and our quality of life. That's why, when we designed these tax cuts, women were not an afterthought. They were absolutely front of mind. Women work hard across our economy, and we want to ensure that they keep more of their hard-earned money. From 1 July, they will.