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ROSS SOLLY, HOST: Busy day up on the Hill today, I think it’s the last sitting day for a couple of weeks. So, a lot of stuff to get through and a lot of important laws are now being debated before both Houses, including new superannuation – new superannuation benefits for people on maternity leave. Katy Gallagher is the Minister for Women and of course is also an ACT Senator and joins us on the show. Senator Gallagher, good to have you on the show.

SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER, MINISTER FOR FINANCE: Thanks for having me on, Ross.

SOLLY: Very, very busy day, a lot of stuff to talk about. First of all, the super benefits. Tell me how will it work and who will be able to access these benefits?

GALLAGHER: So, the superannuation payments will be paid on anyone who claims the paid parental leave scheme through the Commonwealth Government. So, that’s around 180,000 families each year who are eligible for that. And it would be paid in a fixed – you know, because it’s a different type of payment in terms of, we’re not the employer, so we don’t pay it through wages. It would be paid into a superannuation account and adjusted with interest, I think the end of that calendar year –

SOLLY: So, as a lump sum?

GALLAGHER: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So it’d be about – it’s about $3000, I think, that people would get paid into their super account if they’re taking the full amount of paid parental leave when it’s fully extended to 26 weeks. It’s at 22 weeks this year, will go to 24 weeks the year after that and then 26 weeks. So, this is recognising that when you take time out and you take it to look after your babies, that you shouldn’t be penalised further, financially, by not having super paid on that entitlement. It’s a workplace entitlement, it’s just been an anomaly that it hasn’t had super paid on it. Women missed out, and they tend to miss out, to be the main carers of babies and so this addresses that and will help women over the long term with their super balances.

SOLLY: And do you think, Minister, that it might knock on to private employers? I mean, will there be an incentive there to try and match this?

GALLAGHER: Look, I think – well, I hope so. I mean, governments sort of need – I think government has a role to play leading the way. But I should also acknowledge that in the absence of any reforms over the, you know, until we came to government, in PPL – many of the private sector areas had moved ahead. So, I think in the order of over 60 per cent of private sector employers who pay PPL already pay super on that. And so, in a sense we’re playing a bit of catch-up there. But this is all part of the work that we’re trying to do to make sure that women get a fair opportunity with, you know, income, wages, super, because economic equality for women is really important and we know that’s all interlinked with you know, safety and security. Particularly in later life.

SOLLY: Kylie wants to know on the text line, what about PPL and super for kinship and foster parents? Does it come under – are they allowed any of this?

GALLAGHER: It really would cover those who are eligible for PPL. So, it certainly covers parents who are adopting children. I am not sure how it would relate to kinship care, if the babies – if you are eligible for PPL under the eligibility arrangements, you would be eligible for superannuation payments, yeah.

SOLLY: You could access this, yeah. Okay. And it kicks in from 1 July next year, is that right?

GALLAGHER: That’s right.

SOLLY: So anybody who’s about – hold off, hold off, if you’re going to have a baby, if you’re planning a family, hold off until 1 July.

GALLAGHER: I’m not sure it’s going to be the one that cinches the deal in that respect, because it is a payoff over a longer term. But yeah, it’ll come in once the – we’ve got to pass the legislation and put in place the systems to pay it through to an individual’s super account. So, I think that’s – it’s about $1.1 billion over the forward estimates, that this would cost. And it’s around $600 million a year after that. So, even though it’ll make a difference in everyone’s pay, you know, super accounts, it’s – we’ve had to find a bit of money to fund this.

SOLLY: Have you got support from everybody? Is everybody on board for this?

GALLAGHER: Hope so. I mean, the legislation went in today. So, I hope so. I think it’s a pretty common sense one to get done.

SOLLY: Just on – it’s about twelve past five by the way, my name’s Ross Solly, my guest is ACT Senator Katy Gallagher – just on some other things that happened today, some changes to family law reforms, Katy Gallagher. And I mean this is a hot-button topic and it has been for some time. What gets divvied up in divorce cases and people using pets as weapons in divorce cases, et cetera, and arguments about what somebody’s worth or should be getting paid or what their share should be when domestic violence is at stake. Tell me about the changes here.

GALLAGHER: Yeah, so, this – the Attorney-General’s been doing a lot of work in the family law area. So, the next stage of reforms really is focusing on trying to make the family law system simpler and fairer. We know that there’s often family violence issues when parenting matters come before family courts and the statistics there are pretty confronting. But this legislation will ensure that those issues – so, family and domestic violence issues – can be taken into consideration in property settlements for separating families. Which, I think, will be an important reform to making sure that women get a fair deal. Often women are the ones that leave the house or escape violence and these laws are really making sure that they get a fair deal when it comes to looking at how property gets divvied up in families that can no longer, you know, who are separating under family law arrangements.

SOLLY: Is there any concern though, any worry, Katy Gallagher, that this might actually increase the temperature, though, when families are trying to flee a relationship where there is domestic violence? Then all of a sudden – these sorts of people already complain that the cards are stacked against them. I’m talking about the violent partner. And then all of a sudden, they’re confronted by a legal system that also is confirming that they are – you know, that they deserve to have the power of the law raining down upon their heads. But is there any danger that that could raise the temperature?

GALLAGHER: Well, it’s not – certainly – I mean I guess these are always difficult circumstances when families find themselves in these situations. So, this is really, I guess – our focus is on making sure the law is able to accommodate some of the, I think, the effects of violence in separating families that maybe courts haven’t had the laws to ensure that they take those into consideration. I think, you know, best interests of children, understanding the financial impact of violence and its effect on victims and survivors and children, I think – and the issue you raise earlier about pets and how pets are being used – I think are all sensible issues that the court should be empowered to look at in separating families. Obviously, consequential violence or continued violence – you know, well, it’s certainly not what we’re seeking to do with these laws and really they have to be managed through other mechanisms. This is essentially about giving victims and survivors and their children and their pets and other property matters a fair hearing, that the court is required to consider those matters.

SOLLY: Yeah, I think some will say – well, not some, I think most – will say long overdue. Just one other issue, Katy Gallagher, if I could ask you about this. Jim Chalmers, I noticed was asked today a question about former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk taking on a job – or being appointed to the Australia Post board. He was also asked when a report about into public sector appointments will be released. Now this was the report which Lynelle Briggs undertook, I think maybe at your behest, to look at basically jobs for the boys and jobs for the girls. I know that’s been on your desk now for about a year. When is that going to be released and is Annastacia Palaszczuk an example of jobs for the boys or jobs for the girls?

GALLAGHER: Thanks Ross. So, the review is before government. So, we’re considering our response. A number of recommendations there. And you know, until we’ve kind of resolved our response to that, you know, we wouldn’t normally release it. But the intention is to release that report when we’re finalised.

SOLLY: So, that’s 12 months you’ve had it though, 12 months is a long time to review what many would consider to be a fairly important report.

GALLAGHER: Yeah, sure, and this is something that we instigated because we were concerned with how appointments were being handled. But I would say that we haven’t waited for this report to put in place changes. So, things like, you know, having open advertised processes for appointments including board appointments. You know, making sure that people have the qualifications they need to sit in those positions. And that’s not just in appointments to boards, it’s actually in other appointments that government makes. And so all of that has been happening anyway. In relation to Annastacia Palaszczuk, I mean, we think she’s an incredibly qualified person to have on that board. Not only does she bring a Queensland perspective and an understanding of regional and remote issues, which you know are really seriously before Australia Post in how they continue to provide services, you know, will be a very important focus from her point of view on that board whilst it undergoes a huge transition that’s currently underway. So, I can’t think of you know really a better person to secure into a position like that. And I’m a shareholder of Australia Post, so I was very pleased. And she replaces Tony Nutt, who had been on the board for a couple of terms.

SOLLY: And I think he was criticised, wasn’t he, that was criticised by your side of politics as being a –

GALLAGHER: Yeah, I don’t recall – I think he, certainly I met with him and worked with him while he was on the board. I think he brought his perspective – he brought experience and skills to that board. I don’t think politicians should be refused you know opportunity or jobs after they leave politics. But they need to bring skills –

SOLLY: It’s just the look, isn’t it, I suppose? Because it is a hard one to sell, Senator, when you say okay, here’s a former Queensland Labor premier and now she’s got this job. I’m taking on what you’re saying, that you believe she’s very well qualified. It’s just the look is not a good one.

GALLAGHER: Well, I think when you look back and you have a look at all the appointments we’ve made, including to Australia Post, I think from memory we’ve made a number of appointments. We’ve made – well, across the GBE sector, we’ve made appointments – we’ve been going through a very thorough process of skills matching, making sure that each board has the right skills mix. We’ve been advertising appointments, we’ve been going through a selection process. So, people who want to serve on government boards, we want people to serve on government boards. It’s often you face some difficulty getting the right people on to government boards. So, I want more people to come forward and part of my thinking in how we you know ensure the processes are really as good as they can be for recruitment to public positions is making sure we’re attracting people who might not have thought about serving in a public board capacity. So, we want more people, more people with diverse backgrounds, more skills to come through and go through and part of that’s about advertising and making sure people are aware of opportunity and then making proper appointments. But I have no doubt Annastacia will be an amazing contributor on the Australia Post board, and we need her to be, because we need – that organisation is going through major change at the moment and it needs that additional leadership that she will bring.

SOLLY: Alright, Senator Katy Gallagher, we look forward to seeing the Lynelle Briggs report soon. Thank you for your time this afternoon.

GALLAGHER: Thanks very much, Ross.