Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Cheap shot! We're also setting a target for men and women to each hold 50 per cent of government board positions overall, and we are strengthening the BoardLinks program. But there's still much more to the gender pay gap than all of that, and so much more that we have to do together.

Not all of this change can be led and implemented solely by a single level of government. So much of what causes the gap is cultural and requires a cultural shift, and that's something that only people in individual organisations can do. Federal government can set the path, it can set the example, but it cannot change the culture within organisations, whether they be private or public, large or small. We can lead the way, but we cannot change it on our own. I believe we should close the gender pay gap—in fact, it is a moral imperative for us all—but we need to do things to tackle the four main problems, the four main barriers that I've discussed here today. Sadly, the proposal by the Greens will impact on none of those problems. We can work on it together, and we should work on it together to make more change.