The Culture of Politics
Reports of abuse, devastating revelations of inappropriate behaviour and a series of scandals have demonstrated that the Australian Parliament is not a safe workplace. It is a toxic boys club that rewards mates, excuses poor behaviour, and too often ignores the contributions of women.
We know that politics works best when parliament reflects the people it represents and policies are informed by a range of voices.
We need to ensure parliament is a safe and respectful workplace for everyone, and encourage a more diverse range of people to work in politics.
Only 30% of lower house MPs identify as women, and an overwhelming majority of senior advisers are still men.
The Greens plan includes:
- Implement all 28 recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Set the Standard Report
- Lock in the new independent process for bullying and harassment complaints
- Mandate that all MPs undertake regular, comprehensive anti-bullying and harassment training
- Introduce an enforceable Code of Conduct for all politicians and senior staff
Ending RAPE CULTURE
Addressing gender inequality and harmful gender stereotypes is critical to tackling gendered violence.
1 in 6 Australian women experience physical and/or sexual violence.
In 2021, thousands of school students shared confronting stories of how common sexual assault is amongst young people. An alarming number of people still disbelieve or victim-blame survivors of assault. We live in a rape culture: one that normalises sexual assault as ‘boys will be boys’.
It’s time we take steps towards the elimination of all gendered violence.
The Greens plan includes:
- $477 million to support the national roll out of Our Watch’s successful Respectful Relationships program in all public schools, including pilot programs to help tailor training to address local contexts and maximise the impact
- Properly funding an expert-led National Plan to implement preventative programs tackling the gender inequality that drives violence against women
Respect@Work
The Australian Human Rights Commissions’ comprehensive report, Respect@Work, provides a roadmap towards safer, non-discriminatory workplaces. Yet the government has failed to act on some of its key recommendations.
The Greens will implement all recommendations in the Respect@Work report and ensure a roadmap to safer workplaces
The Greens plan includes:
- A positive duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination in their workplace
- Giving the AHRC powers to investigate systemic discrimination and harassment
- Allowing class actions for sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination
- Funding Working Women’s Centres in all States and Territories
- Strategies to make parliament and the public sector more diverse and inclusive, with employment strategies for women, people with disability, First Nations people and culturally and linguistically diverse people
Close the gender pay gap
The gender pay gap in Australia is 13.8%, with men working full time taking home, on average, around $25,800 more than women working full time each year. It’s time we closed the gender pay gap, and boosted women’s wages to ensure everyone can live a good life.
Without targeted strategies we're still 26 years away from pay equity.
The Greens plan includes:
- Stronger paid parental leave entitlements, including 26 weeks leave to share between parents
- Lifting the minimum wage and guaranteeing above average wage increases in women-dominated industries
- Develop a National Gender Equality Strategy
- Removing pag gag clauses
- Increasing reporting on gender pay gaps, and making employers take action to close the gap in their workplace
- Supporting female-led businesses
- Boosting superannuation payments for low income earners caring for children under 6 (or children with a disability under 16)
- Investigating options to value unpaid care work
- Requiring a Women’s Budget Impact Statement so gender impacts are considered in all budget decisions
Paid Parental Leave
Making paid parental leave available for both parents can foster a more equal division of caring responsibilities and set up habits for life. Inequality in balancing work with child care is baked in from the very first weeks of parenthood.
Right now, mothers have 18 weeks paid parental leave at the minimum wage, while their partners get two weeks. While there are some options to share this leave, only 1 in 20 fathers takes extended parental leave.
The Greens plan includes:
- More equitable access to parental leave and flexible working arrangements will help families to share caring responsibilities more fairly
- 26 weeks leave for parents to share - six weeks for each parents to “use it or lose it”, and 14 weeks to share between them
- Leave paid at the carer’s wage (up to $100,000pa, pro rata)
- Superannuation paid on all parental leave
- Removing barriers for parents where a women is the higher income earner to share care
- Flexible working arrangements to help parents to return to work and share caring responsibilities more fairly
- Free early education and childcare
Free childhood education and childcare
Childcare fees put enormous financial stress on families and limit work choices for parents, overwhelmingly women, making decisions about returning to work.
High childcare fees make our society less equal, and limit choices for women.
The Greens plan includes:
- Make childcare and early childhood education free
- Boost women’s capacity to engage in paid work, and relieve financial pressure on parents, guardians and caregiver
Together, we’re powerful.
We're fighting to get real climate action, make the big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share of tax, and get dental and mental health in Medicare. The Greens are fighting for your future.