The Coalition’s long-awaited election costings reveal a $1.2 billion cut to programs aimed at Australia’s working women.
The Coalition’s costings lay bare $1.2 billion in funding cuts to programs that women need to support their employment, such as cutting funding to paid super on parental leave.
Reversing Labor’s commitment to pay super on paid parental leave represents a large Coalition hit on working women and their families.
The Coalition’s policy will mean $158 million will no longer flow into the super accounts of working women and their families over the next four years to help build more secure retirements.
The Coalition’s costings also contain a $556 million cut to Commonwealth Prac Payments – stripping away cost-of-living support for those studying to become teachers, nurses, midwives and social workers over the next four years.
Restoring the activity test on childcare would save a Coalition Government $420 million over the forward estimates, but make it much harder for women to get enough guaranteed childcare to look for work or increase their hours.
The Coalition’s pledge to wipe out free TAFE, taking $431 million out of the education system, will close off skilled career pathways for women, particularly in outer suburban and regional areas where women are signing up to courses in large numbers.
The Coalition’s other big savings initiative – cutting 41,000 public sector jobs – will also lead to unemployment for many women in public sector jobs well outside of Canberra, such as in Tasmania, the NSW South Coast and the Hunter Valley, and in Cairns in Far North Queensland.
Quotes attributable to ACTU President, Michele O’Neil:
“The Coalition has never tried to understand working women or cared about what support families need to be able to run their lives, and to hold down jobs – because if they did, making it harder to get childcare would not be the solution.
“Neither is taking paid super off paid parental leave, as it’s still mostly women, who take the hit to their super balances when they have children, and that unfairness must end.
“Cutting super on paid parental leave not only hurts women, it makes no sense if the goal is to lift workplace participation.
“If boosting productivity was the real issue, why would the Coalition drop funding for free TAFE? Thousands of women in outer suburban and regional areas are embracing this initiative and it is wrong to strip it away so the Coalition can spend $5.7 billion on business lunches and tax breaks for millionaires.”
