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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-08 Daily Xml
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Gender Equality

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Women: has the gender pay gap increased under the Malinauskas Labor government and, if so, why? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: As reported by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, the gender pay gap was 7.1 per cent in 2021, the lowest in the nation, under the former Liberal government. Since the election, South Australia has been only one of two states where the gender pay gap has gone up and has now increased to 7.8 per cent for 2023.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:53): Thank you to the member for the question. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to talk about the many commitments that the Malinauskas Labor government has made and is executing to advance the interests of girls and women here in South Australia and beyond. I am really, really happy to have this opportunity to speak about this.

What I can say, first of all, is that we took to the election a comprehensive policy with a suite of actions in relation to improving women's economic equality, and a suite of actions related to ensuring that we can progress toward a place where domestic violence is prevented and ended. Our commitments came after a period of time when we saw those opposite cruelly cut services for women in our community who most needed support—

Mr TARZIA: Point of order, sir.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: $1.2 million was cut from Catherine House—

The SPEAKER: Minister, please be seated. I will hear the point of order.

Mr TARZIA: Quite clearly standing order 98; the minister is quite clearly digressing into debate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Elder! In the first minute of the question some context has been found by former Speakers, including the member for Hartley, to be of value to the house. I will listen carefully. I have the point of order. Minister.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: What I might say, just to clear things up for this group over here, is that there is a deep interconnection between economic inequality experienced by women and their experience of domestic, family and sexual violence. So when we talk about—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Newland!

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: —women's economic equality and we have questions and comments from the group over there, from a party—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond!

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: —that cut funding to Catherine House of $1.2 million, that cut funding to the DV Court Assistance Service (funding that we have restored), from a group that when we were in opposition we moved a bill—

Ms Pratt interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Frome!

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: —to include the experience of domestic violence as a ground of discrimination in the Equal Opportunity Act—

Ms Pratt interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Frome.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: That is important. When women who experience domestic violence keep their connection to their workplace and to their industry, it means that they are more likely to have economic security and be able to continue that really important connection, both for their monetary benefit and also for the other connections through the workplace.

A new iteration of that bill is now in the upper house, but that bill that we introduced in 2019 and then again in 2021, so a crucial bill that improves economic equality for women and keeps their connection to the workplace, we introduced it twice and what did those over there—who were then over here—do? They rejected it. They voted against it, not once, but twice—twice.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms Clancy interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Elder!

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: It's a really, really interesting question because if you don't understand the deep connection between the experience of domestic violence and economic inequality, I would be really happy to explain it to you. As we continue to progress legislation in this house that improves women's economic equality and participation and that responds to that very interconnected issue around domestic violence, I really do hope that they find it in their hearts, with compassion and empathy for the economic equality of women, that they actually choose to support those bills. I can go on to let the house also know about the clear action that we have taken on the gender pay gap.

The SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired. I also draw members' attention to Standing Order 120:

Reference to debate in the other House.

A Member may not refer to any debate in the other House of Parliament or to any measure impending in that House.

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