Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today we have heard from several speakers about how this unfair budget will strip a billion dollars from child-care and learning programs. We have heard how the changes to the Child Care Benefit are going to hurt women and families and how it will be a barrier for many women wanting to return to work—particularly many women in regional areas, including my electorate of Bendigo.

I also wish to highlight that included in these cuts is an attack on women who work in the sector. One of the first things that this government did was cut the Early Years Quality Fund—the fund that boosted wages for some of our lowest paid workers. These are women who have skills and qualifications. These are women who have certificates, diplomas and degrees, yet they are on a minimum wage. What does this government do? It cuts the fund that would have boosted their wages. Are we surprised about this coming from a government that has little regard for women? You can just see it in their ranks: one woman in the cabinet, two women on the front bench and very few women elected at the last election.

This government does not represent women, and their cuts to child care demonstrate this. Perhaps if they got a few more women on that side of the parliament we would not have such a problem in early childhood education. I call on the government to restore the funding, particularly to the women working in this sector because it is time that these women got a government that backed them up and paid them decent wages.