'More power than you think': MPs court women's votes
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher, Greens senator Larissa Waters and independent MP Allegra Spender attended a panel discussion on the key issues impacting women, hosted by news outlet Women's Agenda.
Shadow minister for women Sussan Ley declined an invitation to take part in the panel, Women's Agenda said.
The wide-ranging discussion ahead of the May 3 election covered childcare, climate change, domestic violence and the growing issue of homelessness among women of retirement age.
The Albanese government's priority in its first term had been to drive women's economic security and this would continue if re-elected, Senator Gallagher said.
"The biggest thing we can do is to make sure that unpaid care is recognised and valued, and that paid work for women is not undervalued, as it has been for too long," she said.
She also committed the government to work towards universal early childhood education and care, but said there were a number of steps to get there.
"We have to build the centres and the workforce and make sure that it is affordable, those are the logical steps to universality that we definitely want to get to," she said.
Senator Waters pointed out that women's work was too often undervalued, leaving a growing cohort without financial security in retirement.
"Women are retiring into poverty after a lifetime of unpaid care," she said.
"Older women are also the fastest growing cohort experiencing homelessness."
More could be done to encourage women into science, technology, engineering and maths careers which are typically higher paid, Ms Spender said.
"Also supporting female entrepreneurs, which is another big gap and a way that women can build that economic empowerment, wealth and prosperity," she said.
Ms Spender wanted to remind women that their vote had power at the ballot box.
"Be the change you want to see in the world and vote like it ... you've got more power than you think," she said.
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