Today, the ABS has released its latest survey on barriers to work, and more than a quarter of women aged 18-64 who were not retired but would like to work, or would like to work more hours, cited child care as the main reason for not doing so.
Wed 24 Jun 2026 15.30 AEST
Photo: AAP Image/Joe Castro
This week, Pauline Hanson has been trying in vain to find a policy position on paid parental leave.
And last week, at the National Press Club, she very much came out against child care, and paternity leave.
For example, at one point, she said:
“If women take time off and they are not paid their wages because they’re not working, fair enough. Why should business pay?”
Today, the ABS has released its latest survey on barriers to work, and more than a quarter of women aged 18-64 who were not retired but would like to work (or would like to work more hours), cited ‘caring for children’ as the main reason for not doing so.
By contrast, just 2% of men cited this reason:
Paid child care and paid parental leave are vital economic, as well as social, measures.
They do more than anything else, in enabling women to work – and in ensuring they do not lose out on experience, promotions, income and wealth.
To see this in action, consider the difference in labour force participation back in the early 1970s:
Compared to more recently, in 2022:
There is no reason to go backwards 50 years.
Advertisement
Over the weekend, we got some modelling that claimed the changes to negative gearing would increase rents by $2,000 per year, or $40 a week. Now, economic modelling can be a powerful tool to understand the impacts of a policy change. But if it doesn’t properly capture relevant changes, it can produce completely nonsensical results.
Grievance politics is having a real moment in Australia and around the world. There is no shortage of people happy to exploit others and sell them easy answers. And one of the most common scapegoats has always been foreigners.
