Reforming the care economy key to injecting more women into workforce: Katy Gallagher

On Wednesday, Senator Gallagher will present the Albanese government's plans for gender equality at a G20 Ministerial Conference on Women's Empowerment in Bali.

The high-level gathering of women's ministers comes ahead of the G20 leaders' summit in mid-November and the discussions will help to inform recommendations to G20 leaders.

She will emphasise the government's focus on addressing skill shortages in care sectors, including childcare, as a means to assist more women into the workforce.

"It is clear that access to quality care in a formal care economy is critical to broader workforce participation, especially for women," Senator Gallagher will say.

"Equally, we have a deep ambition to provide high quality and dignified care for older people and people with disability, as well as early childhood education for children. But we need carers and educators in place to make this happen."

This will be a key theme at the national jobs and skills summit next Thursday, Senator Gallagher will say.

"Our care economy is a major focus because we know that is it is a critical constraint on women's economic equality and our broader economic progress," she will say.

The Minister for Women will also touch on the importance of gender equality in unpaid care work, and the need for the country's economic, industrial and employment settings to support this.

"In our homes and communities we need to challenge the norms that care work is women's business and instead value that work as a critical contribution to our economy and to our thriving communities," she will say.

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Senator Gallagher has bilateral meetings with the Women's Ministers from Indonesia, the European Union, the United Kingdom, India and Fiji.

It is a relatively new G20 gathering, established in 2021 under the Italian G20 presidency but only now, due to COVID-19 restrictions, held completely in person.

Therefore, this is the first time an Australian minister for women will attend this particular conference in person.

Senator Gallagher will also acknowledge the summit's contribution to Australia's understanding of "how we can invest in and reform the care economy" to inject more people into the workforce.

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