AUSTRALIAN WOMEN FACE SNAPPING BACK TO INEQUALITY

Julie Collins MP.
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4 years ago
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN FACE SNAPPING BACK TO INEQUALITY
Julie Collins MP
Australian women face growing hardship under the Morrison Government with more and more policy failures making gender inequality in this country even worse. 
 
Yesterday’s decision by the Morrison Government to snap back to its old child care system and end JobKeeper for the sector, where 96% of the workforce is women, is just the latest example. 
 
Australian women have been on the frontline of our nation’s fight against COVID-19 - in the workplace and at home but under the Morrison Government they face falling further behind. 
 
Evidence from Treasury in the Senate Select Committee today confirmed women are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
 
Australian women have reported losing an additional hour of paid work during each week of the pandemic than men. The majority of the Australians who lost a job in April were women.
 
As a result of COVID-19, mothers are spending an extra hour each day on unpaid housework and four extra hours on childcare. 
 
Day after day we see new evidence of the terrible impact COVID-19 is having on Australians women, but in response this Government just makes things worse. 
 
We know almost 200,000 Australian women missed out on the JobKeeper payment due to its design flaws.
 
The Government did no gender modelling on the impact of its early access to superannuation scheme despite women already retiring with half the balance of men.  
 
The Government found millions for Australians wanting a $150,000 renovation, but couldn’t find one dollar for survivors of domestic violence needing emergency accommodation.
 
Instead of making things worse, the Morrison Government must urgently develop a genuine plan to ensure Australian women don’t fall further behind in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.
 
This plan must include addressing job losses in industries dominated by females, the gender pay gap, and Australian women’s shrinking super balances. 
 
Australian women cannot be left to snap back to inequality.
 
Women