Australia Spending $7 Billion on Gender Equality

Finance and Women's Minister Katy Gallagher speaks during a budget lockup press conference to announce details of the 2022-23 federal budget to the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Oct. 25, 2022. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

The Albanese government will invest $7 billion (US$4.5 billion) into making Australia a world leader in gender equality.

Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said this was the first budget where the government could demonstrate they were serious about delivering on the promise to improve women’s economic equality.

“Labor’s first Budget delivers on our election commitment to elevate the position of women in Australia through responsible and targeted investments because we know that policies that are good for women are good for the economy,” she said in a statement.

Investment into areas including affordable childcare, paid parental leave, women’s safety, pregnancy support, and perinatal mental health support.

The support for families with children is expected to leave 96 percent of these families better off.

Childcare

Of the $7 billion investment into gender equality, $4.7 billion (US$3 billion) over four years will go towards making it easier and cheaper for parents to access early childhood education and care.

From July 2023, childcare subsidy rates will increase up to 90 percent for eligible families.

This is estimated to increase the number of hours worked by women with young children by up to 1.4 million hours per week in 2023-24, equivalent to 37,000 extra full-time workers.

Another $532 million over four years will fund the expansion of the paid parental leave scheme, allowing families to access up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave in 2026.

“This is the biggest boost to Australia’s Paid Parental Leave scheme since it was created by the former Labor Government in 2011,” Gallagher said.

The scheme will be reformed to include “use it or lose it” reserve weeks for both parents to encourage all parents to take parental leave.

The 2022-2023 Budget Papers are seen at a printing facility prior in Canberra, Australia, on Oct. 23, 2022. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Women’s Safety

The federal government has allocated $1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) over six years to support its National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, which was released on Oct. 17.

This includes funding for 500 frontline community sector workers, respectful relationships education, and $1.3 billion for a range of targeted initiatives to prevent violence, from early intervention to preventing escalation, and supporting victim-survivors through recovery and healing.

According to the statistics, one in three women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and one in five has experienced sexual violence. Further, a woman is killed by an intimate partner every 10 days on average.

“No amount of violence is acceptable, and it is crucial that we talk honestly about some of the factors that contribute to violence against women and children and what we will do to address some of the underlying causes,” Gallagher said.

Initiatives Welcomed

The Parenthood, a voice for parents and carers, welcomed the significant early childhood education support, expanded paid parental leave, and commitment to gender equality.

“This budget recognises investment in early childhood education and care and paid parental leave as critical infrastructure that delivers for children, women, families, communities and the economy,” Parenthood Executive Director Georgie Dent said.

“These reforms are not just good for children, women and families; they are good for the economy too.”

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) also welcomed the reforms that help ease pressure on families and improve women’s economic participation.

ARA CEO Paul Zahra noted that increasing the participation of women in the workplace was a key focus for retail, given the high percentage of women in the sector.

However, Greg Andresen, the senior researcher at the One in Three campaign, previously told The Epoch Times that the advocacy group was “extremely disappointed” the national plan did not include support for male victims.

“Naturally, we are extremely disappointed that the new Labor government has decided to ignore the one-third of victims of domestic and family violence and the half of victims of emotional abuse who are unlucky enough to have been born male,” Andresen said.