Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government is putting women and gender equality at the heart of Australia's economic plan. We are committed to making women's lives safer and to getting a fairer economic deal for women. With my colleague Minister Gallagher leading the charge, as the Minister for Women and the Minister for Finance, we are making key investments in women's safety, women's economic security and women's health. We are doing this at a time when women need it most. We know that, when an economy works for women, it works for all Australians.

Women in this country deserve to feel safe. Violence against women is a national crisis. This is why we've invested over $3.4 billion to support women's safety since we were elected. We're also investing $1.1 billion over four years to pay superannuation on government funded paid parental leave for parents, helping to close a super gap and empowering women to make decisions about balancing care and work.

We also know our cost-of-living tax cuts will particularly help women. Women are disproportionately represented among low- and middle-income taxpayers, and our tax cuts will help women keep more of their hard-earned money. Each of the 6.5 million women who pay tax in this country will receive a tax cut from 1 July, with an average benefit of around $1,650. We also know that 51 per cent of recipients of Commonwealth rent assistance are single-woman households. We are investing $1.9 billion to increase all Commonwealth rent assistance by an additional 10 per cent. That is on top of the 15 per cent increase in last year's budget.

If you ever needed proof of why we need Labor governments, this budget is it. I'm proud to be a part of a government that is serious about improving women's lives and achieving gender equality in Australia.