STATEMENTS BY SENATORS
Senator MULHOLLAND (Queensland) (12:15): By now, we've all seen the latest bizarro thought bubble to come out of the coalition—that we should have more babies. To quote, we need 'more Australian babies', whatever that means. On becoming the new leader of the Nationals, Senator Canavan was immediately out of the gates with some fertility advice for women, like it's some sort of group project.
But, like any group project that I've been involved in, there's always one person that thinks they don't have to do any of the work, and that's the coalition. Give us a break, guys. We know where the coalition stands on economic reforms that actually support Australian families.
They have never seen economic policy that supports working families that they didn't want to drive a sledgehammer through. The expansion of paid parental leave to 26 weeks—they don't support it. Funding cheaper child care—they don't support it.
The three-day guarantee for child care—they opposed it. Pay rises for childcare educators—they said it was a waste of money. Putting superannuation on paid parental leave for women—they voted against it.
Flexible work for working families—they tried to abolish it during the last election. Let this working mother tell you this. You cannot call for more babies while opposing cheaper child care for three million families in this country who rely on it.
You cannot champion families while undermining flexible work. You cannot value motherhood by undervaluing working motherhood. You don't get to lecture women about having more children while voting against every single measure that makes it even more remotely possible for families to have more children.
The average cost of raising a child in Australia has gone up from $250,000 to $300,000. Every time you vote against paid parental leave and cheaper child care, you're voting against those families. On behalf of the working families of Australia, I ask you to make it make sense.
If you want to tell the 1.4 million children in early education and their families that they don't deserve that extra support, good luck, but you're on your own there. Let's compare the coalition's attacks on working families and women with Labor's positive plan. Labor's commitment to fight against inequality means that we are always fighting for working women.
There is a structural inequality in this country that follows women from their very first payslip all the way through to retirement, and that is the gender superannuation gap. Right now, women retire with around 75 per cent of what men have in their superannuation accounts. There is a 25 per cent superannuation gap in retirement savings between men and women in this country.
If you want to understand how unfair it is, think about it this way. If we were at a bar at a retirement party and all the blokes were able to get their schooners filled to the top, I and the other women in this place would get a glass that was only three-quarters full. Let me tell you that in Queensland that's a fast way to start a pub fight.
Labor is taking up the fight for women because we believe in a fair go, and our industry super funds get this. I'm proud that Queensland is home to Australia's second-largest superannuation fund, Australian Retirement Trust, and I thank Australian Retirement Trust for the opportunity to visit their Brisbane office last week. It was a great opportunity to talk with the industry about how we can continue to address the super gender pay gap.
Women are more likely to take time out of the workforce to care for children and loved ones. They are more likely to work part time while balancing those caring responsibilities, and too often they miss out on the super contributions that make all the difference over time, resulting from those years spent out of the paid workforce. So, to Senator Canavan, you might want to have a think about when you tell Australian women to go and have more babies— Senator Canavan: Men are involved too.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Remarks should be through the chair, and interjections are disorderly. Senator Canavan: I can show you if you like.
Senator MULHOLLAND: We don't need a diagram. That is why the Albanese government is taking real and practical steps to close this gap. There are three major reforms that we know will make a difference to millions of Australians.
First, from 1 July this year, super will be paid on government funded paid parental leave. That means that, if you are receiving government funded paid parental leave, you will also receive a 12 per cent super contribution. Taking time out of the workforce to raise a child should not mean falling behind in you retirement.
Second, we are introducing payday super, which means you will be paid superannuation at the same time as your wages. For far too long, employers have only been required to pay super quarterly. That meant delays, it meant lost compounding interest in workers' bank accounts and it makes it harder for workers to track whether they are being paid what they are owed.
We know that there is around $3.6 billion in superannuation that isn't being paid to workers at all. So this is a critical reform. Third, we are strengthening support for low-income Australians through the low-income super tax offset.
From next year, the maximum annual payment will increase to $810 and the income threshold will rise to $45,000. This means around 1.3 million Australians, many of them women and young people, will receive a direct boost to their retirement savings. These are not small tweaks.
They are meaningful reforms that go to the heart of fairness in our superannuation system. Closing the gender pay gap and the super gap isn't just about retirement; it's about economic security, independence and dignity. Finally, March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.
This campaign is trying to increase awareness, research, funding and support for those living with this chronic disease. We really do need to destigmatise talking about women's health issues. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue, similar to the lining of the womb, grows in other parts of the body.
While that clinical definition may sound straightforward, the lived experience is anything but. For many women it means extreme pain in their everyday lives. It can mean persistent pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea and overwhelming fatigue.
Yet, despite how serious this condition is, there is still no known cause and there is no cure. At the start of this month I had the pleasure of meeting Bindi Irwin at Australia Zoo, who bravely spoke to me about her own endometriosis battles. We all know her as the warm, optimistic woman from TV, but what struck me about our conversation was her strength and honesty.
She said that she was made to feel utterly ashamed when she told her doctor about the pain that she was experiencing. She's right to call that out. No-one should be made to feel ashamed of their pain.
I also want to acknowledge former yellow Wiggle Emma for publicly sharing her own severe endometriosis journey. She has called for better understanding and encouraged others to seek prompt diagnosis and prioritise their own health. And of course I want to acknowledge my good friend former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
I thank her for her courage in speaking out about her own endometriosis battles. We know that speaking out is powerful. It helps other women realise they are not alone and it helps to shift the conversation, which is so critical.
Right now it takes more than seven years on average for women to receive an endometriosis diagnosis. That is seven years of being told that it's just bad period pain, seven years of being patted on the head and dismissed and seven years of suffering in silence. No-one should have to fight to be believed and no-one should have to wait years for answers about their own body.
This Endometriosis Awareness Month, let us commit to doing better by listening, by investing in research and by standing with those affected. For far too long this condition has been hidden in the shadows, and it's time that we brought it into the light. Proudly, Labor is investing in 11 new Medicare funded endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, which will bring the total to 33 nationwide.
As a working mum from the burbs, I can hold my head up high working for a party that's putting women at the centre of our decision-making. We are the first government in Australian history with more than 50 per cent female representation in this parliament. It's hard to fathom that the Liberals needed an election review to tell them that they clearly have a problem with women.
The problem is sitting right in front of my eyes. I'm looking at it. Not only do you have a lack of female representation in your party; you are actively voting against legislation that is beneficial to women, and now you're committed to telling them to have more babies with zero support.
But, on our side of politics, we will always stand up for Australian women. We put our money where our mouth is, whether it be 26 weeks of paid parental leave, super on paid parental leave, ending the gender pay gap, targeting representation— (Time expired)