Reducing gender wage gaps is not an inefficiency but an overall better utilisation of women’s skills, and so an economy-wide productivity gain.
The NFAW supports measures that improve the affordability, accessibility and quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC), early childhood development (ECD) and the well-being of children and families.
The NFAW supports measures that improve the affordability, accessibility and quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC).
The Government’s commitments to extend PPL to 26 weeks should be included in the Bill. As the overall length of PPL periods increase to 2026, fathers and partners should be actively encouraged to access the PPL provisions, through effective and targeted campaigns, and in particular by increasing the ‘use it or lose it’ period.
We are responding to the terms of reference through a gender lens. Women’s workforce participation reflects their role as unpaid carers as it changes over the working lifecycle. The industrial relations framework penalises women as it is based on the male breadwinner model, while the tax-transfer system imposes high EMTRs on second incomes and gender segregation limits career progression.
we particularly want to note and welcome the package of amendments relating to equal remuneration. The provisions in this package fully implement the government’s election commitments, but more than that they display a desire to see pay equity work for women.
In general we support the provisions of the Bill. However, we note that there are key features of the current child care system implemented in 2018 which have not been addressed in this Bill. They warrant further consideration and review. Some of these issues were raised in the Government’s independent Evaluation of the Child Care Package (AIFS, 2022).
We understand the focus on work and care to apply to both the intersection of workplace laws with informal caring responsibilities, but also the intersection of the workplace laws with employment in the care sector.
NFAW is grateful for the invitation to contribute to the review of the operation of the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Act 2021 (Cth) (the FW SAJER Act). We note, however, that 12 months is a short time in which to establish reliable impact data, especially when employment behaviour during that period has also been affected by the national pandemic response.
