Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

In the context of forced participation, I've received significant advocacy from psychiatrists and others who are concerned about the return to work for women in reasonably well-paid industries, saying that it's currently a significant disincentive to them returning to work, because of the rate of childcare fees. Sure, they probably receive a good income from doing so, but they have to pay for the extra juggle that comes with taking children to child care. More specifically, what has the government done to look at some of the critical workforce shortages that exist in Australia, particularly in this time of COVID, where we know we can't import labour from overseas? Have you actually addressed and considered where you need to pull the levers to lift workforce participation? Why haven't you properly considered those issues in the context of the bill that's before us today?