Coalition policies disadvantage women

01 February, 2013 | Media Release

The ACTU is predicting a voter backlash after Tony Abbott admitted a Coalition election victory would cost 3.6 million low and middle income earners $500 per year, tens of thousands over their lifetime.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said, “The battle lines have been drawn, there’s no doubt about it. An elected Coalition Government would be bad news for the majority of voters, particularly women at a time when income security is the most pressing issue for workers.”

Mr Abbott admitted that the Coalition would remove the super tax rebate from low and middle income workers who earn under $37,000 per year.

“Women make up the majority of those earning under $37,000 and it’s deeply disappointing that the Coalition would choose to perpetuate current gender inequities.

Women already receive less super than men so it is simply unacceptable that Mr Abbott would want to cut their savings down even further.”

Currently, the average superannuation payout for women is a third of the payout for men - $37,000 compared with $110, 000.

This comes as the Tax Expenditures statement reveals that super tax concessions, mostly for the very wealthy, will hit $44 billion a year during the next term of Parliament.

“The top one per cent of taxpayers gets $3 billion a year in tax concessions on their super yet the Coalition chooses to get stuck into low income workers,” Ms Kearney said.

“This is bad policy that would have negative ramifications for millions of Australians, especially women. Governments make choices and those choices tell you what they stand for. It is clear the Coalition will stick to simplistic historical party lines that protect big business and the wealthy.”

“This is something that should strike real fear into the hearts of every working person.”