From the moment it was announced Tony Abbott’s ‘signature’ Paid Parental Leave policy was greeted with scepticism.
It was never bought or accepted by the electorate; it was too generous and ambitious. Few believed it could actually happen and, it seemed, even fewer wanted it to happen.
Yesterday, after facing considerable criticism, the PM has announced the policy will be changed to alter accessibility and reduce the cost of childcare across the board. He was vague on the details about how it will change but it seems likely the effect will be another broken promise. Polls out today confirm that Abbott’s personal approval rating is plunging; this is not a leader with popularity on his side.
But another broken promise needn’t condemn Abbott – or Australia women – to the doldrums.
It does not take a particularly shrewd political mind to recognise that female voters do not connect with Abbott and his team. (It is actually confusing though to consider why Abbott and the Liberal Party have not been more vigilant in trying to rectify this.)
Considering women’s voices in a concerted and substantive manner is not difficult and the way Australia creates public policy demands it. In redesigning PPL there is an opportunity for Abbott and his government to better support women.
Here are four ways Abbott could make changes for women – with the added benefit of potentially stemming his own unpopularity.
1. Increase funding to women’s policy: the scaling back of government services and the public service since the Liberals came back into government last year has hurt the policy discourse around women and gender equality. Abbott would be wise to engage men and women who are experts in the realm of women’s workforce participation as advisers or to sit on on government committees and boards.
2. Incentivise the study of childcare and education, particularly to men: To have more childcare available we need more trained staff. It would be a strategic move for Abbott to incentivise the study of this field to men. This would help change gender stereotypes and show his commitment to gender equality overall. This is a highly feminised industry, with some parents longing for male teachers to provide diverse role-models for their children.
3. Financially back entrepreneurs who are innovating childcare: Australia must become innovators, and that must exist in the childcare industry. There is a plethora of ways to support women, source the ideas from the practitioners and see where government can support, rather than just expanding an existing program.
4. Elevate more women to cabinet: There is not a single working mother in Cabinet at the moment. While Abbott and his team can source many ideas and listen to a lot of evidence, there is no denying that there is little correlation between the lives of those in Cabinet and working women. If Abbott wants to be seen as taking working women seriously, he should promote more women to cabinet.
What else could Mr Abbott do to support women?