Page 3339 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 21 October 2014
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We know that in the ACT women’s workforce participation rates are higher than the national average, with 67 per cent of ACT women participating in the labour force in September of this year compared to a national average of 59 per cent. However, they still fall below that of ACT males, at 74 per cent, and have dropped from 70 per cent in 2012. While this is a strong indicator of ACT women’s economic security and financial independence, we know that this is not true for all ACT women, particularly marginalised groups of women and those who have experienced violence.
The gender pay gap is another strong indicator of how women continue to be disadvantaged financially in our society. ABS data shows that the average Australian man working full time in May of this year earned $356 more than the average full-time working woman. The average weekly ordinary time earnings of women working full time were $1,292 per week; men earned an average weekly wage of $1,642 per week. Between November of last year and May of this year, men’s earnings increased by an average of $68 per week while women’s increased only by $46.Overall, women continue to earn significantly less than men, which has a significant impact on their financial security over their lifetimes. As Mrs Jones has pointed out in her comments, some of these are lifestyle choices about staying home with families, but many are circumstances that women experience through domestic violence, separation and divorce. I welcomed Mrs Jones’s comments in recognising that there are many families out there where it is critical for women to support the family income and to have multiple roles. I find it refreshing. It made me think about earlier comments that you made, Madam Speaker, when you said:
... often women have somewhat of a luxury about whether they are in the workforce or not—a luxury that often does not accrue in the same way to men ... And it is often the case, especially in a town like Canberra where perhaps people are not quite so dependent upon a second income, that women, especially in their middle years … are more inclined to move in and out of the workforce as it suits them ...
The reality of many women in Canberra is that your words do not reflect the reality in which they live.
Here in the ACT, we continue to have a relatively low gender pay gap. Consistent with May 2013 figures, Western Australia had the widest, at 24 per cent, and ACT had the lowest, at nine per cent.
Another way we support women of all ages is that we offer grants, training, mentoring and support for women who want to embark on a career but lack the means to do so. We also provide funding for projects that support specific groups of marginalised women.
The ACT women’s return to work grants program is one of several initiatives that continue to assist women on their path to financial empowerment. Mrs Jones made recognition of that, and I want to thank the coordinator for the efforts they put into that. It is a very successful program, now in its sixth year. It was introduced by the then minister for women, our Chief Minister, Minister Gallagher. The fact that it has
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