Equity improves everybody’s life

Vision: Women and girls don’t have to fight for the same opportunities in their careers, finances, sport and health. We are valued and safe from violence.

Violence

Why are we here?  Australia must confront the harsh reality that intimate partner violence remains the greatest health risk for women in their reproductive years, and that the least safe place for women continues to be the family home. In 2024, in the highest rate in years, 69 women were murdered by a man – more than one a week.

First Nations women are more than 33 times more likely to be hospitalised and six times more likely to die as a result of family violence. One in three women experience physical or sexual violence by someone they know. One in five experience sexual violence before the age of 15. These harms are not isolated – they ripple through families and communities.

We need urgent, concerted action that supports victims, addresses the root causes of male violence, and prevents toxic masculinity before it starts.

It’s still a disadvantage to be female

Why are we here?  Australia prides itself on fairness, yet women still earn only 78 cents for every man’s dollar. Caring work remains undervalued and underpaid. Unpaid care work – worth over $650 billion, or half our GDP – is predominantly done by women.

Outdated assumptions still hinder women’s opportunities. Highly capable women are overlooked for leadership roles because they have children – while men are promoted for the same reason. In 2023, women-led startups secured just 4% of total funding, while male-led ventures received 62%.

Women entering retirement have 25.1% less superannuation than men. As a result, they now account for 81.7% of the increase in people experiencing homelessness.

The gender gap also harms women’s health. Women are more likely to die from heart attacks, receive inadequate pain relief, and endure poorly treated conditions like PCOS and menopause symptoms. Healthcare must be gender responsive.

More than 30,000 people work from home in Corangamite. This has transformed lives – particularly for women juggling care and work. Attacks on working from home are attacks on gender equity.

 

Kate Lockhart, Independent for Corangamite, is advocating for:

Ending violence against women and girls

  • Increased funding for crisis services and transitional housing for women and children affected by domestic violence.
  • Further family law reform to protect victims of family violence, sexual abuse, and child abuse, including better support and training for the justice system.
  • Full implementation of recommendations from the Senate Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children.
  • Stronger enforcement of Respect@Work protections against workplace harassment and abuse.
  • Ongoing investment in evidence-based strategies to prevent gender-based violence.
  • A domestic violence perpetrators disclosure scheme.
  • Closing loopholes that enable economic abuse, improving education, advocacy, and legal consequences for perpetrators.
  • Stricter regulation of online platforms to ensure women’s safety and accountability for online abuse.

Equity for women and girls in work, life and health

  • Free early childhood education and care.
  • More generous paternity leave provisions to support shared caregiving and family wellbeing.
  • Superannuation contributions during parental leave, and protections against job loss while on maternity leave.
  • Raising the concessional cap for super contributions for people who have taken years out of the workforce to care for others.
  • Stronger oversight and penalties for workplace discrimination based on gender or caring responsibilities.
  • Fairer tax concessions for those doing significant unpaid care work.
  • Training, grants and incentives to ensure women benefit from emerging industries and clean energy jobs.
  • Expansion of work-from-home policies, especially for regional Australia, and more APS roles designated for remote work.
  • Increased investment in women-led startups and small businesses, including better access to capital and gender-responsive government-backed finance.
  • Close the loopholes that force part-time women workers into full-time workloads without recognition or pay.
  • Greater federal investment in gender-responsive health training for GPs and primary care workers.
  • Increased research and support for menopause and perimenopause care.

Quotes from Kate Lockhart:

“Women are more likely to die from a heart attack because symptoms present differently. I’ll fight for more funding in gender-responsive training so every doctor and nurse understands women’s health needs.”

“Intimate partner violence is the greatest health risk for women in their reproductive years – worse than smoking, alcohol or obesity. First Nations women suffer the worst of it. We need major investment in prevention, services and justice.”

“This is not about half-measures. It’s about bold reforms: housing for survivors, evidence-based prevention, and a legal system that protects and supports victims.”

“We must close the loopholes that let abuse continue, and ensure women are safe in homes, workplaces, streets, and online. Perpetrators must be held accountable.”

“Women are still denied opportunities they’ve earned. I’ll push for serious consequences for workplace discrimination, and more support for women-led innovation.”

“Canberra should commit to creating more public service jobs that are remote – and earmark them for regional communities like ours.”

“Caring work underpins our society. It’s time our tax and superannuation systems recognise and reward that contribution fairly.”