NFAW’s 2024 Federal Budget gender lens analysis finds that the budget’s initiatives only partially reflect the ambition outlined in the Government’s Working for Women—A Strategy for Gender Equality, released in March. While there are some commendable efforts to include gender impact analysis, particularly women’s careers in the Future Made in Australia program, it has not yet been fully integrated across the entire budget process.
National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) Responds to the 2024 Federal Budget: A more ambitious and comprehensive action plan is needed
NFAW calls on the Next Government to Continue Progress for Women. We urge the next Government to be bold and to continue to progress the gender reforms initiated by the 47th Parliament.
In March 2024 the Australian Government released “Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality”. This strategy identified five key priority areas to address the economic inequality that women experience.
The second Albanese Budget builds on the initiatives introduced in the “bread and butter” budget from October 2022. Women’s economic equality was a priority last year, with changes proposed to childcare and paid parental leave (PPL) to enable economic activity.
The first budget of the Albanese Government has signaled welcome changes in direction, particularly in moving toward an evidence-based Women’s Budget Statement and investment in projects that will work to mitigate climate change. It will take time for these initiatives to show changes in women’s economic wellbeing and safety, and this is recognised with costs, for example in child care, climate change and paid parental leave, being acknowledged as an investment in the future.
Since 2014 NFAW has undertaken an in-depth analysis of the Budget papers through a Gender Lens. In 2021 the Government reintroduced a Women’s Budget Statement, but our analysis looks behind this year’s document to separate the facts from the spin; new money from reannouncements; to see what is actually being done to respond to the needs of women.
The Budget Fails to Support Australian Women. No Structural Reform in Areas that Affect Women’s Lives. The Gender Lens 2022 Budget Review is prepared by The National Foundation for Australian Women. Leading experts in gender, economics, and social policy work together to review the Budget through agender lens to ensure there is an organisation advocating for and articulating what the budget means for all women living in Australia.
NFAW is a feminist organisation, independent of party politics. These position papers have been developed by NFAW’s Social Policy Committee to analyse the 2021-2022 Federal Budget and its impacts on women and therefore on the community and the nation as a whole.