Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that young Australians have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a recent report, led by young South Australian women and supported by the Working Women's Centre, demonstrated the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on young women. The report highlighted issues such as insecure work, economic inequality and violence against women, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, making young women most in need of support in our recovery, yet this government has failed young Australians, in particular young women, time and time again. The report found that as at January 2021 there were still 17,000 jobs lost by South Australian women that had not been recovered. The underutilisation rate for young women was at 27.8 per cent across the country in March 2021, compared with 13.5 per cent for the labour force as a whole. In this budget, the government has missed the opportunity to support young women back into secure, well-paid jobs.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also urged the government to focus on Australia's young people, as they play a vitally important role in immediate and long-term labour productivity. Low wage growth, underemployment, unaffordable housing, less accessible education and the precariousness of the gig economy are increasing this inequality. It is time for this government to act, rather than hiding behind rhetoric.