Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment, representing the Minister for Women. The Morrison government's National Summit on Women's Safety will take place next week. Will the minister please outline to the House the action the government is taking to support women's economic security, including through the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the national plan will mean for women's economic security as we go forward?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chisholm for her question and commend her on her leadership across so many women's issues in her electorate.

It is heartening to see there are more women in work now than before the pandemic began. That's a positive trend that I know all members on all sides of the chamber will acknowledge. The government is determined to build on this strong progress and see women's workforce participation continue to grow, especially as we hit our vaccination targets and reopen the economy.

The certainty and confidence you have around your job prospects, your work, your employment and your income go to the heart of your economic security. And women's economic security and financial independence are critical components of women's safety. That's why they're going to feature prominently as a topic of conversation at the National Summit on Women's Safety next week, being co-chaired by the Minister for Women and the Minister for Women's Safety in the other place. Both are doing an outstanding job with this summit. The Women's Budget Statement this year included $1.9 billion in initiatives to strengthen women's workforce participation and their economic security. That investment is now more important than ever not just for women's safety but also to benefit our whole economy.

With lockdowns in Victoria, here in the ACT and in my home state of New South Wales, of course these lockdowns affect the economy. But they can sometimes disproportionately affect women in the economy. It is an incredibly difficult time for women, coping with so many challenges on the home front as well as often on the work front—managing home schooling, managing toddlers at home, dealing with the mental wellness of their family and worrying about their finances, and often, it does seem, putting themselves last.

It is so important now that we support women not only through the direct payments we are making to make up for lost work hours but also through providing additional targeted support for childcare centres, particularly in areas under lockdown. We want child care and early learning to be there for women, families and children on the other side of this. Importantly the government is providing families with additional absence days and allowing gap fee waivers to keep children enrolled. It means services have still been able to receive the childcare subsidy even if children haven't attended, to keep those services strong.

We can't lockdown forever. Lockdowns are causing real harm, particularly to women's economic security. The national plan is our way out, and it is what's needed. It's needed for our economy, our mental health and our national recovery, not just for women but indeed for all Australians.