The women’s budget has finally arrived and seems to be headed in the right direction with promises to strengthen women’s safety and economic security. But what does that actually mean for the women of Australia?
The 2022–23 October Budget includes commitments and investments to support structural changes to systematically advance gender equality. It finally delivers more affordable childcare, expands Paid Parental Leave, amends workplace relations laws to help narrow the gender pay gap and increases funding to end violence against women.
The focus is on 3 key themes
- women’s economic equality
- ending violence against women
- gender equality, health and wellbeing
Let’s dive a little further into these key themes and what it means for the women of Australia.
Achieving economic equality for women
The Government’s $4.7 billion investment in early childhood education and care will assist in removing barriers for parents to increase their workforce participation and support families to balance their work and care responsibilities. This investment supports women to increase their workforce participation, as women are more likely than men to care for children. The Government is also investing $531.6 million to expand the Paid Parental Leave scheme up to 26 weeks by July 2026. This will further support women’s workforce participation and promote a more equal distribution of paid and unpaid work within households. Additionally, the Government is also addressing the gender pay gap by putting gender equity at the heart of the workplace relations system and shining a light on pay inequity through improved transparency measures. Just recently we discussed she-flation and the catastrophic results the current inflation rates have on women who are disproportionately affected by the cost of living rising, just last month Australia’s inflation rate hit 7.3% the highest level since 1990.
Ending violence against women and children
Violence against women and children has reached epidemic proportions in Australia, the impacts of which ripple across families, communities, and society. This year’s budget saw 1.7 billion allocated to improve women’s safety policies (Over a 6-year period) to End Violence against Women and children so that women are safe at home, in the community and at work. This includes 169.4 million for 500 frontline services (just like our partner – Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre) and community workers to support women and children experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence.
This plan will guide efforts and actions over the next decade towards the vision of ending gender-based violence in one generation. This is an ambitious goal; however, it couldn’t have come at a better time – just this year alone, 38 women have died at the hands of a partner or former partner. What is crystal clear to us, is that the current system is broken.
Gender equality, health and wellbeing
Currently, gender inequality is holding Australia back. In 2022, Australia was ranked 43rd of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index. Our national level indicators highlight persistent gaps between women and men, including a gender pay gap of 14.1 per cent.
Women in Australia continue to shoulder most of the unpaid work and caring responsibilities and are more likely to be in part-time, casual, or low-paid work as they try to balance work and family. Gender inequality is also a key factor underpinning gender-based violence. Until there is true gender equality, we cannot reach our full potential and be the Australia we want to be.
These themes are interconnected and should not be considered in isolation. Financial insecurity, for example, can impact a woman’s decision or options to leave a violent relationship. Violence can have devastating health impacts and diminish a woman’s capacity to participate in the workforce and progress in her career. Certain women’s health issues – such as endometriosis and menopause – can affect workforce participation.
Time out of the workforce and the gender pay gap can have a cumulative impact on women’s lifetime earnings, with considerable implications for older women, including for retirement incomes. Gender inequality is also compounded by intersecting forms of discrimination and disadvantage, including racism, homophobia, ableism and ageism.
Access to safe and secure housing is critical for social and economic equality and good health outcomes. Unaffordable housing disproportionately impacts women as they on average have lower incomes and wealth and are significantly more likely to be driven from their homes by violence.
The returns from $1.6 billion of the capital invested in the Housing Australia Future Fund will be directed to long-term housing for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence, and older women on low incomes who are at risk of homelessness.
In addition, $100 million is being provided for crisis and transitional housing options for these groups. These initial investments, while a powerful start, will not achieve gender equality alone. To build on these investments and develop additional policies to advance gender equality, the Government will introduce a National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality. This will guide future actions to achieve the Government’s goal of Australia being one of the most gender-equal countries in the world.
Proactive, long-term change is essential to advance economic equality, gender equality and ending violence against women in a generation. Improving women’s representation to visible, influential, and decision-making positions is also an important driver of gender equality so can the government promise that too.
We read this year’s budget with hope, more hope than any other budget has given us previously. As a female collective, we know we deserve more – could this be the plan we need to get it? Time will tell….
*Stats Women’s Budget Statement 2022 – 23
