I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
I’m delighted to be with you again, ahead of International Women’s Day.
This year’s call to “March Forward” is a chance to reflect on areas where Australia has come a long way and to be clear about where we still have a long way to go.
To look at the foundations we’ve laid – and to be ambitious for what we can build.
There has been a great deal of overdue change in the last three years: in economic opportunity, pay, representation and rights.
And there is more that must change, urgently – including the right of every woman to live in safety, free from the threat of violence.
The starting point in all of this is that issues affecting half the population are not questions of ‘special interest’.
Creating opportunity for women is a matter of national interest.
It’s more than a measure of our national fairness – it’s a driver of our national success.
It grows our workforce, lifts our living standards, boosts productivity, liberates the talent and capacity we need to build Australia’s future.
When women ‘march forward’, our whole nation makes progress.
That’s why as Katy Gallagher often says: “equality for women is not an add-on”.
Not an afterthought.
Not a discussion we have at a morning tea once a year.
Not an issue we discover ahead of election time.
It is a fundamental economic and social priority.
It drives the national action our Government is taking on violence against women.
Our Leaving Violence Payment and our expansion of the Single Parenting Payment, so women aren’t trapped in violent relationships by the threat of poverty.
Record new investments in crisis and transitional accommodation, so there are more safe places to go.
And just as importantly, a new and stronger focus on perpetrators and prevention.
Because we shouldn’t wait for a hospital admission or a police report to identify the risk of violence.
We are also making change in our health system, opening 22 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across states and territories.
We are expanding Paid Parental Leave to 6 months, making it more flexible – and adding superannuation to it.
And we’re driving change in work and wages too.
Gender equity is now an objective of the Fair Work Act.
10 Days Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave is now part of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Employment Standards.
And all 55 Recommendations of the Respect@Work – including a duty on employers to try to stop sexual harassment at work – are being implemented.
These reforms have helped bring the gender pay gap to an all-time low – and they have made our economy stronger, across the board.
The same is true for the 15 per cent pay rise our Government is delivering for early educators.
Firstly, this pay rise is about recognising the value of the work these Australians do.
Making it clear – as we did with aged care – that the people who bring joy and discovery into the lives of our littlest Australians deserve more than our thanks and praise.
They deserve fair pay.
These pay rises help with retention – because people can afford to keep doing a job they love.
They help with recruitment – attracting the new workers we need for a growing care economy.
And the important thing about these wage rises – as with so much else that is sometimes described as ‘Women’s Policy’ is that they don’t just benefit the workers and their families.
They benefit every family with a child in child care.
And they drive our national prosperity too.
Because everything we do to make child care more affordable and accessible boosts productivity and participation in every part of our economy.
That’s why this week in Parliament, we’ll be taking the next step to universal child care.
Introducing legislation to abolish the current Activity Test and replace it with a new 3 Day Guarantee.
Building a system where every child can access 3 days of early education.
The current Activity Test denies tens of thousands of children the opportunity of early education, every year.
And it also deprives their parents of the opportunity to find work.
Because if you don’t have that foundation of access to child care, that certainty, it’s hard to commit to working certain days or hours, or even get to an interview.
This is a barrier to education and employment, we want to clear it away and replace it with universal child care.
Three decades ago, I was a delegate at the Labor Party ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Conference when we voted to adopt Affirmative Action with the goal of achieving equal representation.
The arguments against it and the criticisms of it haven’t changed much in 30 years.
But I can tell you our party has changed, and changed for the better.
When we sit in our Government Caucus Room, for the first time ever there are a majority of women members.
When I sit at the Cabinet table, for the first time ever, I see an equal number of men and women.
This has helped us make better decisions and drive better results for the women of Australia. No question.
But it’s also made us a better Government in every way.
That’s what happens when you set an ambitious goal – and back it with concrete action.
And that’s the Australian story too: every time we broaden opportunity, every time we expand the meaning of the fair go, we all gain from it.
We are all stronger for it.
Let that guide us – and drive us.
So we all ‘march forward’, together.
