LABOR ALL SPIN NO SUBSTANCE ON WOMEN

16-September-2009

The Rudd Government’s policies are reducing the choices for Australian women while they try to political point-score on women’s issues, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Childcare Sophie Mirabella said today.

 “The reality is that Labor is all talk and symbolism on women’s issues – while their policies are actually having a negative impact on the lives of Australian women,” Mrs Mirabella said.

 “It is yet another case of Labor being all spin and no substance.  Yesterday’s Question Time was a political stunt and nothing else.”

 Mrs Mirabella pointed to five direct ways the Rudd government had failed Australian Women:

 1.     Increased Childcare Costs -  Recent reports indicate that parents will be paying between $500 and $4,000 per year in extra childcare expenses because of the cost of implementing the Rudd Government’s reform plans – after Labor promised to slash childcare costs at the last election.

 2.     Increased Health Care Costs - Changes to the Medicare Safety Net will also have wide ranging effects on many Australian women trying to access essential services such as obstetrics and assisted reproductive technology.  Cuts to the private health Insurance rebate, will similarly affect many thousands of women.

 3.     Cutting Family Payments - Changes to Family Tax Payments and eligibility criteria announced in the Budget will rip $2.4 billion out of the pockets of Australian families over the next 5 years – putting financial pressure on families and reducing choice for women.

 4.     No additional funding to address the problem of Violence Against Women  - Labor promised that, “A Rudd Labor Government will implement a National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children to better protect women and children from domestic violence and sexual assault.” However the recent Budget reveals that the Government is committing no new funding to the National Plan and is just rebadging the former Coalition Government’s Women’s Safety Agenda.   

5.     Paid Parental Leave just an election promise - Labor promised in September 2008 that it would bite the bullet on PPL.  But the proposed scheme, announced on Budget night, will not be introduced until 2011 well after the next election.  The only thing that they have introduced is another election promise.  Under Labor’s PPL, 14% of eligible women would actually be worse off than they currently are.

 “Labor’s economic mismanagement in running up debt is also likely to have a greater impact on women than men – with a recent report by the Australia Institute finding that a recession has a far higher impact on women,” Mrs Mirabella said.

 “The fact is that Labor talks about quotas and makes ridiculous political points in order to draw attention away from the practical impact of their policies.”

 “As I travel around Australia talking to women as part of our “Engaging Women” initiative, the most important thing for women and their families is personal choice.  They want to manage their work and family life in a flexible way that suits their needs at the time,” Mrs Mirabella said.

 “When the Government puts increasing financial pressure on families and mismanages the economy, they limit the choices women can make.  And that is precisely what the Rudd Government has been doing since they came to office.”