International Women’s Day - Motion

Wednesday 5 March 2025

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (11:31): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes that 8 March 2025 is International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is March Forward;

(b) acknowledges that while significant strides have been made, there is still much work ahead to close the gender pay gap, ensure women’s safety, and fairly value both paid and unpaid care work;

(c) notes the achievements of the Malinauskas Labor government in advancing women’s safety and equality, including through the establishment of our Gender Pay Gap Taskforce, promoting diversity on government boards and establishing the successful Women in Business program; and

(d) notes the role of the Australian Services Union to achieve portable long service leave after a 10-year campaign.

This Saturday is a day to celebrate what has been achieved, recommit to fighting for equality and acknowledge that women still face significant barriers in our society, including sexual harassment and domestic, family and sexual violence. Australia's first International Women's Day was held in 1928 in Sydney. Organised by the Militant Women's Movement, women called for equal pay for equal work, an eight-hour working day for shop girls, and paid leave.

As a feminist, I am always proud to move a motion such as this and be part of a government that is committed to tackling inequity in our society. However, this is not a women's issue. For too long, it has been only women in this house and outside of it calling for equality, and they deserve more. Our male colleagues have offered words and now we need more action. We know society is filled with toxic behaviour and women being harassed and abused in homes and workplaces. We need more.

The UN Women Australia theme for 2025 is March Forward: For ALL Women and Girls. Thirty years ago, the world committed to a bold vision for gender equality when 189 countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action for gender equality in 1995. This was a key global policy document on gender equality. Since then, we have seen women break barriers, reshape policies and ignite global movements, yet despite significant progress the promises made remain largely unfulfilled for millions of women worldwide. We are simply not where we should be. It is time to turn promises into progress. We need to march forward for a gender equal future. The world cannot afford a step back, and it is time to accelerate action through our collective efforts. World-renowned feminist, Gloria Steinem, reportedly once said:

The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.

Today, the gender pay gap is very much open. Women's safety is far from guaranteed, and the lowest paid jobs are still mostly undertaken by women, mostly in the caring industries. Compounding this, the majority of unpaid care work is still largely undertaken by women.

In Australia, to earn the same average annual salary earned by a man, a woman must work 50 more days after the end of the financial year. Research from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows the top three reasons contributing to the gender pay gap are gender discrimination, care, family responsibilities and workforce participation, and gender segregation by job type and industry—all of this 56 years after Australian women earnt the right to equal pay for equal work in 1969.

In fact, the 100 highest paid athletes in the world, taking into account salaries, bonuses, prize money and endorsements—the list of these 100 people includes eight different sports across 27 countries. Of these top 100 highest paid athletes there are no women in that list. It says a lot about how we are valued by this society. On top of this, last week we had those comments made by Marty Sheargold with regard to the Matildas.

Honourable members: Shame!

S.E. ANDREWS: I share the words from an article in The Guardian that speaks to it, 'It was just a joke.' How many times have we heard these words being uttered over the years, after self-proclaimed good blokes slip up and make comments that appear to reveal their real views.

There was a sense, particularly after the success of the Women's World Cup on home soil in 2024, that women's sport had finally overcome the last of its barriers. But comments like this, and the surrounding hilarity by others cheering him on, bring to light the very real beliefs that lie just below the surface, ready to unveil themselves as soon as women have the nerve to put in a sub-par performance. None of this is to say that women are above criticism. No doubt the Matildas themselves would understand the valid critique that has been levelled at them for their losses so far in the SheBelieves Cup.

There are, however, many analytical well thought-out articles that have been published over time which have not drawn such ire. The issue comes from these comments because they are unnecessarily gendered. By putting the Matildas into the realm of 'girls' Sheargold was trying to—whether consciously or unconsciously—take away the little power they had after dragging women's sport into the spotlight. It gives rise to jokes that have wider consequences for the health and wellbeing of teenage girls as they continue to drop out of sport because their very presence is seen as farcical.

I have been proud to chair the South Australian Gender Pay Gap Taskforce that has provided advice to the Minister for Women and will present our report this week. Data released just yesterday revealed that 79 per cent of businesses are still missing the gender pay gap target, although I do note that 56 per cent of businesses with over 100 employees have improved in the past year, and I suggest that this is because they are now obliged to have public reporting.

Nevertheless, the national average gender pay gap is still 21.8 per cent. Companies that have a less than 5 per cent average pay gap between men and women in their workforce, in either direction, are considered to have effectively eliminated their pay gap. However, only 21 per cent of Australian employers have achieved this. In fact, there is one Sydney business that still has a gender pay gap of 88 per cent in favour of men.

Whilst companies with over 100 employees are required to report in Australia to value women equally, and hopefully feel obliged to change their practices once it becomes public, I fear this is actually at risk. Trump is removing diversity targets, and we are already seeing this impact here in Australia. The company Accenture, with approximately six and a half thousand staff in Australia, will start sunsetting their diversity and inclusion goals. They are using the merit card, which in reality, as we all know, is a policy which favours the status quo. Then we have a recent report in The Times, which states there is a crisis as young men are earning less than young women. I do not recall this ever being a crisis when it was the other way around.

I have discussed family, domestic and sexual violence many times in this house and, sadly, this violence continues across our nation. Seven women have lost their lives through gendered violence in this year alone, including one South Australian. These figures are from Counting Dead Women Australia, researchers of Destroy the Joint.

While we speak of domestic, family and sexual violence, we need to look beyond sexual harassment, online abuse, coercive control, and violent and abusive behaviour towards others. It is rare for domestic, family and sexual violence to occur without warning signs and rare for it to be a single incident. This is another issue that is not just a women's issue. Women are the victim in most cases of family, domestic and sexual violence, but it is on all of us to call out unacceptable behaviour, act when it occurs and acknowledge that no-one is immune from its reach.

In South Australia, the Labor government is taking action. The Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, initiated by the Malinauskas Labor government, is scheduled to complete its work by 1 July. Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja AO is hearing from South Australians across the state, and we await her findings. Our government is also taking action on coercive control with the Criminal Law Consolidation (Coercive Control) Amendment Bill.

As I have mentioned earlier, women are more likely to work in caring industries, cleaning and health care. These industries are largely represented by my comrades at the Australian Services Union, who have led many fights for women's rights in the workplace and society. Whether it be menopause leave, flexible working, maternity and parental leave or their current campaign for reproductive health leave, they have advanced the cause of women and men in the workplace and were instrumental in pushing for the SA domestic and family violence royal commission.

However, one of their most significant campaigns has been the 10-year portable long service leave campaign, where the Australian Services Union, led by Abbie Spencer, has delivered portable long service leave for community and disability sectors across South Australia. Finally, after years of campaigning, community and disability service workers in South Australia will be able to take their long service leave entitlement with them between employers, enabling them to finally access long service leave. The majority of these workers, as we know, are women, and some have gone more than 20 years in this sector without a break from their work, as due to the short funding cycles, workers are constantly moving between employers, never having the opportunity to stay with one service provider long enough to take long service leave.

I have referred in my speech to sexual harassment. Last week, I was sexually harassed in my workplace by a contractor. So I ask: if in 2025 a member of parliament finds herself in this situation, what has really changed? I implore you—all of you—to stand up, speak out and demand the changes we all need.

Right of reply after other Member’s contributions

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (12:50): I would like to acknowledge all the members who spoke on this and I appreciate the diversity of thought that was reflected by all members. I acknowledge the member for Frome for her recognition for the women in her community. To the Minister for Women, thank you for your leadership and the way you clearly articulate the experience of women. I acknowledge the member for Finniss for celebrating the women in his community. To the Minister for Education, Training and Skills: I do appreciate that he recognises the challenges we face and his willingness to act to overcome them.

I acknowledge the member for Mount Gambier's reflection on what the gender pay gap really does capture, and the member for Davenport for acknowledging female trailblazers in her community, particularly the daughters of Davenport. I acknowledge the member for Heysen for recognising the history of International Women's Day, and to the Minister for Human Services, thank you for celebrating the life of the Hon. Dr Rosemary Crowley.

I am pretty angry. I am angry that I am still talking about this. I worry that my daughter is going to be still talking about this. But, regardless, I refuse to give up hope and I will endure and do the work that is required to make change.

Motion carried.