Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is very typical of those opposite to be only able to look backwards. This really was a shameful slip in the rankings over the last decade that we're recovering from now. It is, I think, quite telling that there's only one speaker from the opposite side that signed themselves up today to speak on this significant issue of Australia's improvement in the World Economic Forum Global gender gap report rankings. So you'll forgive me if I doubt the sincerity of those opposite when it comes to gender equality. Of course, the record of the last decade speaks for itself in terms of that shameful slip backwards that our nation unfortunately experienced in its standing on gender equality.

But I've got really good news, and that is that Australia has improved its standing on gender equality. The World Economic Forum Global gender gap report rankings now list Australia as 26 out of 146 countries—an improvement from where we were previously, at 43 in the world. This improvement is a good achievement and is one that is only possible because of the steps taken by the Albanese Labor government to promote gender equality. Our commitment to fostering greater workforce participation, through making early childhood education and care more affordable and accessible, our work in ensuring feminised work is not worse-paid work and the implementation of paid family and domestic violence leave are all part of the active efforts undertaken by this side of the House to ensure that we close the gender pay gap.

In addition, we have started the implementation of all the recommendations of the Respect@Work report so that all women are safe at work. The report and the recommendations were the product of so many conversations with women right across Australia who were working in horticulture, hospitality, factories, offices, education and a range of different sectors. I'm so pleased that we've taken action to make sure that those women are going to be safer at work. We do have some way to go, and this side of the House acknowledges that. Current projections mean that it will take about 131 years to close the gender gap globally.

Of course, the gender gap impacts women differently. Things are, still, in our own country, too unequal for women from low socioeconomic backgrounds, for First Nations women and for women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We must consider the intersectionality of experience when implementing policies to make sure that these can improve situations for all women. Our National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children does take intersectionality and women's voices seriously, with victim-survivors at the heart of the ambitious plan to eliminate gendered violence within a generation. This is a plan that all states and territories have signed up to.

In terms of the work we're doing in our region, we are placing gender equality at the heart of our aid program. We know that this significant commitment to lift social and economic participation in the Pacific region is a really important thing for our nation to do, and I'm really proud that we're making that commitment. Labor governments have a good history of taking action on gender equality, with the first female minister—the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women—being a Labor woman: Susan Ryan. She was a remarkable trailblazer who introduced the Sex Discrimination Act to the parliament and the nation. This was preceded by a private senators bill that she introduced—a brave act by a courageous, tenacious woman whose legacy we all benefit from today and, I believe, are obliged to build on.

We still need to do more to improve economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment—all key measures of how well we are doing in the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Report rankings. The difference between our side of the House and the other side is that, when we acknowledge all the work that needs to be done, we don't shy away from our responsibilities; we make the active commitment to do more, to do better and to close that gender gap.

Women make up more than half of our government. We should feel great pride that our nation has played host to, arguably, the most successful women's sporting event the world has ever seen: the FIFA Women's World Cup. The Matildas are doing really well and being celebrated by people from all walks of life. But we need to do more to change cultures, to change behaviours and to set new and better standards. I would think that is something everyone in this place should be very aware of.

These achievements that we reflect on having made over the past year have not happened by accident. They've happened because there has been determination to make change, to make our nation more equal, to make the region more equal and to make the world more equal. This work is the responsibility of us all, and do I urge those on the other side of the House to join us in taking active steps to close the gender gap. Our policies in the areas of education, industry, health, finance and housing all take into consideration the gendered dimension of opportunity and aspiration, as well as entrenched and systemic challenges and structural inequalities that need to be addressed.

Our government's holistic approach to gender equality is one that will give us a much greater chance of success in continuing to close the gender gap that persists. Given that there are so many women representatives on our side of the House, that should come as no surprise. I'm very grateful to all those who worked so hard over so many decades in this place to develop policies and implement laws to make it possible for me to be here, but I know that there are many other women in this country who need more to be done to ensure that they have the opportunities that they should and that they deserve. I will use every chance I get here to do what I can to open doors to those women who have been locked out.

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