2008 Budget submissions

The National Foundation for Australian Women welcomes the invitation to make a submission to the development of the Federal Budget for 2008-9. NFAW has had a long-standing interest in the impact of government policies on the health and welfare of women and girls and is firmly committed to the principle of evidence- based policy.

NFAW considers three areas to be of the highest priority.

Wage equity

NFAW recommends that:

• The Government includes in revised industrial relations legislation an object relating to pay equity by the promotion of equal opportunity and the prevention of discrimination;
• The Government directs the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in consultation with EOWA to consider and report on the best means of implementing this objective and to develop an action plan, and publish the report; and
• The Government asks the Public Service Commissioner, in consultation with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, to undertake a pay equity audit in the Australian Public Service. Such an audit would serve as a prototype for audits in other industries.

NFAW submission on wage equity

Paid maternity leave

NFAW recommends that the Prime Minister makes an early reference on a national paid maternity leave scheme to the Productivity Commission consistent with his letter to NFAW (attached); and that a Part-time Commissioner be appointed for the Inquiry, selected with input from the national women’s organisations.

NFAW submission on paid maternity leave

Child abuse and neglect

NFAW recommends that the Ministers for Health and for Families and Indigenous Affairs make a reference to the Council on Australian Governments for a nationwide review of maternal and pre and post natal services with a view to development of more effective strategies to enhance child development and reduce problems consequent on the failure systems to prevent the growth of child neglect and abuse.

NFAW submission on child abuse and neglect

Other issues

These by no means comprehend the full range of issues on which NFAW holds views; they do however reflect the major concerns of many of the women and women’s organisations with whom we have had contact in the past twelve months.

Other issues identified by NFAW and other women’s organisations also require consideration by government. In light of the government’s intention to expand the role of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), NFAW believes that the following issues may usefully be referred as COAG projects:

• Women and vocational education*
• Domestic violence*
• Improving health outcomes in indigenous Australians*
• Reducing teenage pregnancies*
• Introducing a comprehensive national dental health scheme
• Reducing obesity in Australian children

Several of the above issues (marked with an asterisk) are of particular interest to NFAW, and we would hope to have the opportunity to make substantial comments on them. NFAW also has a deep interest in issues that have a flow on effect for women at work that will be referred to COAG, such as pre-schools and childcare. Your advice whether there will be opportunities for comment (possibly through a community input stage) in the COAG processes would be appreciated.

Contact details

Jenni Colwill 02 6238 3421
Marie Coleman 02 6248 6937