Page 94 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
confidence to be competitive in the labour market. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the graduates of this program. They loved it, and so do I.
Even with the wonderful programs of this government, we should never forget that there remains a silent, almost forgotten group of women in our community. These women are seldom in a position to access or enjoy such initiatives. For this group of women, the idea of a glass ceiling is a mystery and breaking it almost impossible.
For full-time mothers with a life of running between school drop-offs or caring for children, elderly parents or both, all while trying to hold down a job, it is difficult. The thought of a glass ceiling for women working as low paid hospitality workers or retail workers is unimaginable. These workers are now paid far less than they were 12 months ago, due to cuts to penalty rates, and are too often forgotten.
While we may refer to the gains that women as a group have made over the years, it is the concrete ceiling that remains an impenetrable boundary for today’s women. The glass ceiling may be seen by some as an effective euphemism for the economic, political and social barriers between men and women. The concrete ceiling is an embedded, structural barrier that separates women on the basis of class.
It is women stuck beneath this barrier who I spoke of when I first came to this place, and it is those women who will remain the focus of my time in this place. It is these women who fight every day to put food on the table, to pay the bills, to replace worn-out and too-small school shoes and clothing. It is these women who count every cent they have in a fortnight to make sure it goes as far as it has to. And it is these women who former Senator Jacqui Lambie spoke of when she spoke to the shame and frustration that comes with telling your child that they cannot go on that school excursion or they cannot play sport this season because you just cannot afford it.
I know that feeling. These are the women for whom taking the kids to a women’s football match on a Friday night just does not happen. These are the women who want to take the risk of applying for that better paid job or upskilling to change career paths but for whom these are just dreams they have in the daily grind. Any minute they are not running around with their children, doing the school run or working weekends, they are run down, exhausted and mentally fatigued, while probably listening to the on-hold music during a Centrelink call that now takes up more and more of their already limited time. It is these women who are now forced to undergo a humiliating eligibility requirement for parenting payments, such as filling out affidavits proving their status as single parents. For these women, diminishing income will soon make services such as child care, a service that is intended to assist their re-entry into the workforce, simply unaffordable. These are the women for whom getting the policy balance right is critically important.
Incorporating gender in policy and legislation development is just one part of that balance. The other is recognising the differences that still exist between women in our society and recognising that good-hearted policy to improve the opportunities, recreation or upskilling for some women will not necessarily have a distinct impact on the lives of others. I remain committed to making sure the experiences of these women are considered. I look forward to making more policy and legislation to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video