Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The Women's Budget Statement is a $3.4 billion package that's focused on supporting all Australian women. It's investing in facilitating respect, dignity, choice, equality of opportunity and justice to safeguard women's safety, their economic security and their status.

The Morrison government is committed to taking action and enhancing, in particular, women's economic security. We're investing to remove barriers and to improve choices and chances for all Australian women. This is one of the pillars that we in the Liberal Party believe very, very strongly in, but this is not about equality of outcome; it's about equality of opportunity. It's about making sure that that playing field is as level and as even as it can be, for women in Australia to be able to participate. In order to do that, the Morrison government is investing even more money into child care. This will help remove any disincentives for women to take on extra days of work. We regularly hear from families that women return to work part time; they take up limited days when they return to the workforce because the costs of child care are prohibitive or in fact a deterrent for taking up more days. Mind you, there are some mums that almost think it's worth paying for just to get that day back in the office with some adult conversation and away from Bluey on the television!

We are also helping single parents to achieve the great Australian dream of owning your own home, and this is through the Family Home Guarantee. For a woman, particularly a single woman, one who has been through divorce or found themselves later in life without stable accommodation, being able to own your own home is a form of security that is incredibly important, particularly when we consider some of the greatest levels of homelessness are now occurring in single women in the over-50s age group. We want to boost women's opportunity to enter the housing market, and, if they have previously been forced to leave it, to re-enter the housing market, to provide them with some security and stability, particularly of accommodation, as they move into their later years.

In relation to women at the start of their career and women and girls that are still studying, we are continuing to develop opportunities for women to access the jobs of the future. We know that the workplace is going to look different in the next five to 10 years. Looking at Senator Patrick—or should I say hashtag #senatorsingle; is that right? We might work with some of these single women over here. Sorry, it is Thursday afternoon, Senator Patrick! I'm sure Senator Patrick could confirm that working on those Oberon class submarines looks very different to being on the Collins class. As workplaces continue to evolve and the technology continues to change, we are looking to develop opportunities for women to ensure that they have equal access and a real interest that's able to be cultivated in STEM, and making sure that that interest starts in school and carries on beyond that.

These measures are, of course, part of the broader Women's Economic Security Package. This will ensure that we enhance women's workforce participation, which won't benefit only women. It's not just the mums that go back to work that benefit from this increased ability to participate in the workforce; it's actually the entire Australian economy that benefits—every single person in Australia benefits, all families, with more Australians in the workforce. That's why we are determined to see women's workforce participation increase by five per cent, increasing GDP in real terms by $20 billion over the next five years. This landmark investment of $1.9 billion in women's economic security will improve choice and opportunity for Australian women, who are key to the Morrison government's commitment to create more jobs and continue our economic recovery from COVID-19.

Debate interrupted.