2023-10-13
By Larissa Waters
Australian Greens Leader in the Senate and Senator for Queensland
We’re a year into our biggest federal Party Room ever, and what a difference it has made! I have been especially proud of the four other Queenslanders who’ve joined us. It's been a privilege to have such a strong, smart, and dedicated team working for Queensland!
With more Greens in Parliament than ever before, we’ve had balance of power on a few crucial bills, raised the profile of important issues that the lacklustre Labor government would have liked to sweep under the carpet and worked with the expanded crossbench to push for important reforms!
A year into the Labor government, how much has really changed for women?
Since my last report we have seen the Labor government hand down its first full budget. While there were some moves in the right direction, it’s devastating that Albanese continues to sing from Morrison’s playbook by choosing to put tax cuts for the highest income earners above women’s safety.
The government continues to underfund frontline family, sexual and domestic violence services, who have repeatedly called for a $1B per year to ensure they can help everyone who needs it. The funding shortfall will mean one in three women are still unable to get the help they need when escaping violence.
There is welcome and overdue funding for a dedicated First Nations Action Plan on Women’s Safety, strengthening justice responses to sexual violence and supporting recovery services, but much more is needed if this government is serious about ending gendered violence in a generation.
After years of advocacy from single mothers doing it tough and the Greens (shout out to Terese Edwards, and my colleagues Janet Rice and Rachel Siewert, in particular!), the Single Parenting Payment was finally lifted from when the youngest child turns 8 years old. But, the government only extended the payment to 14 rather than full restoration to 16 years. As any mum will tell you, kids don’t get cheaper when they become teenagers!
The Government’s own Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee called for “substantial increase” in Jobseeker and other income support payments, but instead the government delivered a measly $2.85 per day - still well below the poverty line - and no increase for people on Disability Support Payments.
On women’s health, there are longer GP consultations and welcome funding for the National Breastfeeding Helpline and measures to help those who can’t breastfeed. But, despite clear evidence from across the country about gaps in access to reproductive healthcare, there was no money to ensure everyone can access this care when they need it, no matter where they live or how much they earn.
Closing the gender pay gap
The government has made some baby steps - if you’ll excuse the pun - on paid parental leave, with a gradual extension to 26 weeks, and the introduction of a ‘use it or lose it’ component to help encourage shared care by parents.
But completely missed the memo from unions and women’s economic security advocates to pay superannuation on parental leave. This has been a long-standing policy of the Greens, and previously a policy of the Labor party, as far as gender equality measures go, so we thought it was a no-brainer. I moved a second reading amendment calling on the government to urgently reconsider that decision, and include superannuation contributions on PPL, but it was voted down in the Senate.
It turns out they just wanted a chance to put their own name on it, as ‘implementing payment of superannuation on government paid parental leave as a priority reform’ has since been introduced as part of a motion at the ALP National Conference. Glad to hear they’re getting there eventually!
The Greens will continue to call for the duration and amount of PPL to be increased, and urge the government to invite the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce to review the options for a PPL payment rate that will incentivise parents to take their leave entitlements.
Reproductive healthcare
The Greens-initiated Universal access to reproductive healthcare senate inquiry confirmed that despite being legal, access to abortion, maternity services, contraception and sexual healthcare, remains a postcode lottery in Australia.
The good news is that the multipartisan committee made some really strong, consensus recommendations that set out a comprehensive plan for improving access to reproductive, sexual and maternity healthcare for everyone.
The government response is due at the end of August 2023 and the Greens will keep up the pressure to get all the recommendations implemented to ensure reproductive healthcare is accessible, affordable, safe, legal, compassionate, and free of stigma, no matter who you are or where you live.
We also saw a welcome move allowing more medical practitioners and pharmacists to supply the abortion pill - a huge step forward in improving access to reproductive choice. Read more about the recommendations of the inquiry
Consent laws
Despite the work of amazing activists in recent years, inconsistencies in sexual consent laws across Australian states and territories remain. A recent Senate inquiry heard directly from legal experts, survivors and advocates about the re-traumatising impacts of the failures in the criminal justice system, and the need for comprehensive education.
Nationally, almost 9 in 10 incidents of sexual assault are not reported to the police and an alarming number of people still disbelieve or victim-blame survivors of assault. We need consent education in schools and the broader community to dismantle this persistent rape culture and ensure everyone understands that only informed and enthusiastic consent means yes.
The ridiculous controversy around Yumi Stynes’ “Welcome to Sex” is just one of many recent examples showing why consistent consent laws and education are sorely needed to address gender inequality, counter outdated attitudes, and keep people safe.
The Greens will keep pushing for the outcomes victim-survivors have called for, including age-appropriate, evidence-based, sexual and respectful relationships education programs in all schools, trauma-informed judicial processes, and harmonisation of consent laws across the states.
Strengthening democracy
Political donations data published by the Australian Electoral Commission in February confirmed that the Liberals, Nationals and Labor continue to rake in millions from coal and gas corporations and their lobby groups.
That financial relationship explains why Labor continues to back more coal and gas, contravening International Energy Agency and the UN Secretary General advice, and flying in the face of global temperatures reaching historical averages this year.
Late last year, I re-introduced a bill to ban donations from coal and gas corporations and other sectors with a track record of buying influence, and cap all other political donations at $1,000 per year, but Labor is yet to come to the party on donation reform.
Money shouldn’t be able to buy government contracts, development approvals, political access or political influence. And it’s not just the fossil fuel industry doing it.
Years of donations has been getting for organisations like PwC and the rest of the Big 4 big government contracts, and thanks to the incredible work of my colleague Senator Barbara Pocock we now know just how deep that conflict of interest goes.
The Big 4 donated more than $4.3 million to both sides of politics over 10 years, and secured $8 billion in government contracts over that same time period - work that could and should largely be done by a strong, independent public service.
In response, I will shortly introduce a private members bill called the Fairer Grants and Government Contracts Bill, which would ban political donations for 12 months before and after any government contract tender, grant or environmental approval was sought.
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters tabled its interim report into the 2022 federal election in June, including a number of recommendations relating to electoral expenditure caps, donations caps, truth in advertising laws and donation disclosure and transparency.
We are yet to see the detail on any reforms the government plans to introduce, but will work to ensure the best outcomes for our democracy, and not any veneer of changes that merely seeks to entrench the power of the two big parties
Vale Sophie, Vale Fraser
In the last few months we lost two incredible champions of our movement for a more just world - Sophie Trevitt and Fraser Brindley. My deepest condolences go to all who knew and loved them. Their smarts, dedication and passion will be sorely missed, but both contributed so much in their own way, and will not be soon forgotten.
Thank you
Thank you to all the staff and volunteers across the country for all the work that you’ve put in this year. Behind all of our MPs and Senators is an incredibly hard working team of staff, party members and volunteers. We couldn’t do it without you!!
– Larissa