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

I thank Senator Bilyk for the question. This is a package that recognises that women bear a high cost for their health over their lifetime and that there has been a gap in quality and responsive health services for women. We know that this has real impacts on women not just in bringing down the costs of health treatments through this package but also in avoiding the costs that women bear when they can't access quality health care. Chief Executive Women has pointed out that, on average, women retire earlier than men and 12 years earlier than they want to due in large part to their health. This obviously has huge impacts on a woman's life and on her economic security into retirement but also on our economy.

Employing just five per cent more people age 55 or over could add $48 billion to the Australian economy. Monash University has also estimated women's labour force absence costs $72 billion in lost GDP annually. This package goes to making women's health care more affordable and more accessible and to giving women more choices. (Time expired)