Gender Equality

The Greens have a plan for equality for women and gender diverse people.

For too many women and gender-diverse people, life is unfair and unsafe.

Sexism makes women's lives harder and more dangerous.  

Women and gender-diverse people are all too often discriminated against in the workplace with lower wages, and workplaces not suited to their needs. Gendered violence is still an epidemic. Women and gender-diverse people struggle to get their healthcare needs met.

Australia has also been shocked in the last few years by the revelations of a culture of inappropriate behaviour and scandals that makes politics and parliaments unsafe places for women.

We need change across workplaces, in our homes and out in the community for women and gender-diverse people to achieve equality. 

Did you know
The Victorian Greens have an all women leadership team. 

Workplace Equality

Everyone should be valued at work

Improving women’s working lives, including with genuine workplace flexibility, is important for gender equity.

For many women, trans and gender-diverse people, inflexible working conditions can make it harder to seek care for reproductive health issues, and many need to take paid and even unpaid leave to seek basic healthcare. It shouldn’t be this way.  

Reproductive leave will help with keeping women in the workforce and addressing the gender pay gap.

The gender pay gap remains unacceptable. Unfortunately the 3% wage cap imposed by the government on the public sector means public sector workers have had real wages cuts. The workers hit hardest by these cuts are the lowest paid workers, who are predominantly women. 

The Greens' plan includes:

  • 5 days of additional reproductive leave for employees across the Victorian public sector who access reproductive health services or experience reproductive health conditions such as: 
    • Miscarriage, terminations, hysterectomies, vasectomies, and insertion of long-acting reversible contraception (IUDs and Implanon).
    • Menopause symptoms and endometriosis treatment.
    • IVF and sperm and egg donation.
    • Hormone injections or replacements, and social and medical gender transitioning therapies, including sex and gender hormone therapy and reassignment surgery. 
  • A four day working week trial in the public and private sectors, which would reduce gender inequality in the workplace and at home.
  • Higher wages for non-executives in the Victorian public sector by abolishing the wages cap. 
  • More funding for community kinder and continuing our federal push for free childcare.
  • Procurement targets for women-led businesses. 

More on our reproductive leave policy More on our 4 day working week trial

Better healthcare for women and gender-diverse people

Our healthcare system shouldn't leave anyone behind

Victoria’s maternity care system hit crisis levels during the pandemic following years of underfunding and the closing of the last of Victoria’s well-respected birth centres in 2013. 
 
Women were giving birth in corridors and emergency rooms, and even on the side of the road. Women were sent home from hospital early, only to return with serious complications, and hard-working midwives suffered extreme stress and burnout.  

Changes are needed to ensure Victoria’s maternity care system supports women and families, and retains our talented and hardworking midwives.

Also while abortion is legal in Victoria, the ability of women and other people who get pregnant to access an abortion remain a challenge that needs to be addressed. Similarly, contraception should be more easily accessible for all who need it.  

The Greens' plan includes:

  • Boosting maternity health, including developing a plan to reopen birth centres connected to major hospitals; $10m for more publicly funded homebirth programs in hospitals; and more continuity of care by rearranging rosters to allow more 1:1 midwifery care in hospitals.
  • $15m to provide greater access to abortion services.
  • Investing in additional clinical services for trans, gender-diverse and non-binary Victorians.
  • Ongoing funding of $1m per year for Vixen to support the health of sex workers.

Ending violence against women

Safety is a human right

The Royal Commission into Family Violence was a benchmark moment in acknowledging the epidemic of family violence in our communities. The government has acted on a number of recommendations to improve responses to family violence. 

But there are significant gaps. There is no multicultural women’s refuge in Victoria dedicated to the particular needs of women from different cultural backgrounds. 

A safe place to call home is one of the most important things a person needs when leaving a violent situation. 

Yet the waiting list for public housing has ballooned under the current government to 120,000 people, including women and children. 

The Greens' plan includes:

  • Providing $40m for funding multicultural women’s family violence refuges.
  • A big build of 100,000 public homes, which will help ensure women always have somewhere safe to go when leaving a violent situation.
  • More funding for the services that women need when they are leaving a family violence situation, including specialised community legal services ($20m). 
  • Amending the Equal Opportunity Act to give the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission the power to enforce the existing duty to take measures to eliminate sexual harassment and create a similar enforceable duty to eliminate sexual violence. 
  • Ensuring consent education meets the needs of young people.
  • Limiting sexual harassers hiding behind non-disclousure agreements.
  • Funding for harassment prevention programs including:
    • $3m to re-establish the program to help staff and patrons in live music venues to identify and respond to sexual harassment and assault.
    • $3m to re-establish and upgrade the Sexual Assault Report Anonymously (SARA) scheme, where people can informally and anonymously report sexual harassment or assault in public places without needing to go through the judicial system.
    • A $2m boost for anti-harassment advertising at tram stops and train stations targeted at male perpetrators and bystanders, encouraging them to call out inappropriate behaviour.

Changing the culture of politics

A woman's place is in parliament 

The revelations from the federal parliament of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour are disturbing. Politics works best when parliament reflects our diverse communities and policies are informed by a range of voices. But to make this a reality, much work needs to be done to change political culture.

Parliament must be a safe and respectful workplace for everyone, and women and diverse communities should be encouraged and supported to work in politics. 

The Greens' plan includes:

  • Establishing an Independent Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner to oversee MPs' behaviour when parliament returns.
  • Mandate that all MPs undertake regular, comprehensive anti-bullying and harassment training.
  • A robust independent process for bullying and harassment complaints.
  • An enforceable Code of Conduct for all politicians and senior staff.
  • Strong measures to facilitate more diversity and inclusivity amongst MPs and the parliamentary workforce.
  • Making the Victorian Parliament a family-friendly workplace including proper facilities and more appropriate hours for all parliamentary workers, not just MPs.

HOW WE'LL PAY FOR OUR POLICIES

Making big corporations pay their fair share

The Greens will make the big banks, property developers and the gambling industry pay their fair share of tax so we can invest in climate action, affordable housing and public services for all. 

Our plans will also be paid for by spending smarter and making our state borrowings work for the community.

Learn more about how we'll pay for our policies.

Together, we’re powerful.

With more Greens in parliament, we can tackle the climate crisis, make housing affordable and hold the major parties to account.