Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Women. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting Australian women? What attitudes about women are standing in the way?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank very much the member for Swan for the question. It is fantastic to see so many women of diverse backgrounds here in this chamber, in particular the member for Swan—science, engineering and over a decade in the mining industry.

Since Labor came to government, the gender pay gap is at a record low, with women on average earning $217.40 more per week than they did in May 2022. We've also seen more women participating in the workforce than ever before. Supporting women doesn't just have a social benefit; we know that it has an economic benefit as well. It's why we've made gender equality an object of the Fair Work Act, why we've expanded paid parental leave to six months by 2026 and why we've introduced 10 days of paid domestic and family violence leave.

These changes are possible when you have women around the table empowered to make decisions, and that hasn't always been the case. Let's not forget that it was a little over 10 years ago now that former prime minister Abbott appointed only one woman to cabinet and crowned himself minister for women. Thankfully, under this prime minister that attitude within government is a thing of the past.

I wish I could say the same of those opposite. Just today, we had the member for Longman claiming that quotas are a ridiculous practice and that men tend to be more drawn to vocations that involve maths and physical exertion. And I go on to quote the member for Longman, 'Women, in the main, tend to be drawn to careers that involve women and care, like hairdressing, nursing, social work and the like.' What an absolute crock! What a crock! People used to think that women were not drawn to this place. We have so many talented women in this place with a range of backgrounds, from engineers to doctors, to CEOs, to paralympians and even to pilots, including among those sitting opposite to me. This is exactly the attitude, Member for Longman, that keeps wages for women low and stops them from putting their hands up to learn a trade or work in STEM or represent their communities in this place.

Those opposite simply do not get it. Those opposite are living decades in the past. First, it's net zero, and, now, it is your attitudes towards women. Well, I'm here to tell them that it is 2025. Climate change is real, and gender equality is a very good thing for this country.