This is part 3 in a video series trying to explain every policy announced in the 2023 Federal Budget.

broadening opportunities in our society and around the country

Broadly speaking, This section focuses on closing gaps, with policies targeted towards the marginalised aspects of certain demographics, especially women, Children, and Aboriginal people. 

The policies here can be categorized into three sections: childcare and gender equality, national plan to end violence against women and children, and closing gaps with regional and indigenous communities

CHILDCARE AND GENDER EQUALITY

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The government is improving the Paid Parental leave Scheme.

Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay, both forms of payment given to people to look after new children, will combine into a single 20-week payment that can be shared between parents, which can be claimed by either parent, including single ones.

[as of july 1st] Both parents who have passed an income and work test, can spend up to 100 payable days receiving the National Minimum wage, which is currently $819.9 a week.

The work test requires you to have worked at least 10/13 months before birth with a minimum of 330 hours worked in that time, and the income test requires under ~$150k individual adjusted taxable income. Family incomes of less than $350k are also now eligible affecting 3’000 parents.

Beforehand both parents had to seek payment through different systems, reducing eligibility and income benefits. This policy essentially gives both parents the same benefits from the government, giving women a bigger advantage in the workplace.  

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The Government has incurred Cheaper Early Childhood education for 1.2 million families though changing the Child Care Subsidy.

The Child Care Subsidy is used by the government to cover a portion of your childcare costs when you bring your kids to approved early childhood education centres. 

The amount that the government will cover will depend on the family's income and can be calculated online. According to the Department of education, Families on 80 grand or less will have subsidy rates lifted to as high as 90%, and a family on $120k  with a child in care three days a week could save $1’700 a year.

These subsidies are complemented by a $72.4 million package to train more childhood educators. 

These subsidies will make it easier for parents to work or do other activities while their kids are in care, disproportionately benefiting women.

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The government has just changed the Workplace Gender Equality act to require Gender Pay Gap information to be published by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).

WGEA was established in 2012 to promote gender equality in workplaces, typically through advice, tools, and education.

These changes to the amendment are part of a continuing expansion of the government to ensure gender is a part of all major budget decision making, to ensure equality of payment.

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NATIONAL PLAN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN

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The government is changing its approach to domestic violence laws, here are some of the changes.

$589 million dollars to support stopping domestic violence, including tackling intergenerational disadvantage in communities. 

This is on top of $1.7 billion in the previous budget.

$159 million is being used to extend the Family, Domestic, and Sexual Violence Response National Partnership Agreement with states which intends to boost front line delivery.

The government is also strengthening Sexual Assault consent laws and making them more uniform through improvements to the family law system, addressing barriers of Justice including addressing gaps in supporting victims with visas. 

$194 million will be used to establish a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander action plan  which will include culturally responsive healing programs, addressing immediate safety concerns, and community led services for First Nations children and families dealing with DV.

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The National Redress Scheme (NRS)  is a program providing support to remedy victims of institutional child exploitation. It was made in response to the “Royal Comission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse” in 2012 which saw tens of thousands of calls and messages confirming that thousands of children were abused in various Australian institutions

The Albanese government has given NRS services an additional $142.2 million to ensure those who experienced institutional child sex abuse can continue accessing free, independent support in a safe and trauma informed way.

The money will go towards compensating victims through continuing the Redress Support Services.

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CLOSING GAPS WITH REGIONAL AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

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Remote Australia will receive $199.8 million in an integrated package to address entrenched and concentrated disadvantages in Australian communities, in collaboration with states. There are 4 notable parts of this package.

$64 million dollars to extend the Stronger Places, Stronger people initiative, Comprising and led by 10 communities across Australia. Combining data, local understanding, and evidence based solutions to disrupt patterns of disadvantage. 

$7.8 million to construct a whole government framework to address community disadvantage. 

[The Australian policy handbook] Whole Of Government frameworks are formed between ministers and Central Agencies to keep departments working in sync together.

$16.4 million for a life course Data initiative, which is designed to capture data insights and improve how community disadvantage is understood.

$100 million Outcomes Fund. Outcome funds are pools of money paid to people for achieving social outcomes. 

This will include $11.6 million to fund a Social Enterprise Development Initiative. This is designed to support organisations that intend to find financially sustainable ways to achieve positive social outcomes. 

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How is the federal government attempting to close the gap for First Nations people?

You might have heard  the Australian Labor government’s referendum for an Aboriginal Voice to Parliament. This was done in response to the Uluru statement from the heart, but according to the next federal budget the government is planning to do even more.

One of the biggest unheard of actions the government is taking is spending $561 million to increase indigenous Australian health, including $238 million to improve workers capacity to treat cancer, and 30 extra Dialysis Units being sent to regional and remote areas

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Other than the voice referendum, what else is the government doing to address gaps for indigenous Australians? Some in the latest budget include…

$38.4 million to support some of the first community-led models of distance learning for Remote Aboriginal children.

An example of community-led aboriginal education includes the Northern Land Council’s Learning on Country Program which was extended by 6 years in 2022. 

It involves education by rangers and community elders to make new custodians of the country and employ massive portions of the community. 

$150 million to improve regional water security through the National Water Grid Fund, Helping to close a gap in the 2023 Commonwealth Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.

The Fund is used on projects proposed by local communities to improve water supply, and are approved by the National Water Grid Investment Framework.

$20.8 million spent to undertake urgent repairs for Aboriginal Hostels Limited. AHL is an accommodation service with over 40 hostels. Giving Aboriginal people a safe place to stay when leaving town for medical or family reasons.