Ms WHITE ( Lyons — Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health ) ( 09:01 ): International Women's Day, celebrated each year on 8 March, is a day to celebrate the achievements of women but also to build support for women's rights and their full participation in the economy, in politics, in community and in every aspect of life. In Australia, International Women's Day was first held in 1928 in Sydney. It was organised by the Militant Women's Movement. Women called for equal pay for equal work, an eight-hour day for shopgirls and paid leave. By 1931 the event had become a national event, with annual marches in Sydney and Melbourne that continue today because the work to achieve equality for women isn't done yet. Since being elected in 2022, the Albanese Labor government has worked to improve the lives of women and girls around the country by putting women's economic and social equality at the centre of our policy agenda. These efforts have been driven across all portfolios by a government that is proudly 56 per cent women and led by Australia's first gender-equal cabinet. Having made record investments to support Australian women during our first term of government, our second term is focused on building on this important progress. We've expanded paid parental leave to reach 26 weeks. We've guaranteed at least three days of subsidised child care each week, supported by $1 billion to build new and expanded childcare centres. These are game-changing reforms in and of themselves, especially for parents and particularly for women, who can now participate fully in the economy, pursue their careers and, of course, give our children the best start in life. We're helping low-income earners build their retirement savings through reforms to the low income superannuation tax offset, and we now see that the gender pay gap is the smallest it's ever been in our nation's history, at 11.2 per cent. This builds on important reforms already in place, including paying superannuation on paid parental leave, a campaign that began in the labour movement and has now become law; making free TAFE permanent; paying students who must undertake practical placements for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work qualifications; and increasing wages in historically underpaid, feminised industries such as aged care and child care. When I visit aged care and early childhood education facilities and speak to the workers there, they tell me for the first time they can afford to stay in the job that they love. This is life-changing reform. We've invested over $4 billion in women and children's safety, providing $3.9 billion for legal assistance, and have introduced 10 days of paid family and domestic leave. Our government will be delivering tax cuts for all women taxpayers and providing opportunities into homeownership with the expanded five per cent deposit and support for new homebuyers, which is assisting women—for the first time, in many cases—to own their own home. I also want to speak today about the federal Labor government's investment in women's health. Labor's nearly $800 million women's health package is driving more choice, lower cost and better care for women and girls across the country, and we are already seeing outcomes. Since introducing the women's health package, more than 700,000 women have benefited from 2.3 million cheaper PBS prescriptions for contraceptives, menopause, hormone therapies and endometriosis treatments. This includes the first new contraceptive pill listed on the PBS in more than 30 years, plus two additional contraceptive options. This has helped, to date, 328,000 Australian women save more than $27 million. The first new menopause hormone therapies listed in more than 20 years have supported, to date, 383,000 women and saving them $53 million. Women for the first time can now see a doctor and get access to the hormone therapy that helps them feel like themselves again. I've spoken to many women and to doctors who share stories where they are able in the first instance to access medicines they can afford and in the second to try new options that work for them and get their life back. More than 7,000 women with endometriosis have accessed 30,000 scripts, saving $5.7 million. Women undergoing IVF are receiving earlier and more affordable access, with 46,000 women who've been able to access lower costs of fertility treatment. Since 1 January our government has lowered the cost of medicines on the PBS to just $25, or $7.70 if you hold a concession card, giving Australian women more cost-of-living relief. We're also strengthening Medicare to make sure that it works better for women, delivering services and specialist care for women who, in some cases, have waited too long. Medicare funded menopause health assessments began on 1 July last year and have already been accessed by more than 71,000 Australian women, giving women the dedicated time and support they deserve at a critical stage in life. New Medicare items and higher rebates mean cheaper, more accessible gynaecological care, with longer consultations now available for complex issues. We have funded around 430,000 additional services for women with endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, chronic pelvic pain and other gynaecological conditions, backed by a $49 million national investment that is directly improving women's lives. IUDs and contraceptive implants are now easier and cheaper to access, with larger Medicare payments and more bulk-billing saving women up to $400 a year in out-of-pocket costs. When I visited the local family planning clinic in Tasmania, they shared stories with me of phone calls they'd made to women before 1 November last year, when this change came into effect. The women on the phone were crying because they had been saving month after month to be able to afford and access an IUD, and were now able to access it, fully bulk-billed, because of these changes. These might seem like small things to some people, but for the lives of these women who have had them change because of the policies of this government, they are enormous. We see and we have seen example after example of how women have been dismissed or gaslit by a health system that hasn't been built for them, and how reforms that our government have championed are making big changes. We are funding the development of Australia's first national clinical guidelines for perimenopause and menopause, ensuring consistent, evidence based care for women no matter where they live. This year, the government will launch Australia's first national awareness campaign for menopause and perimenopause, finally giving women the information and recognition that they deserve and have deserved for decades. We are delivering the reform women were denied for too long, for practical, affordable, evidence based care that improves their lives. While there is lots of good news and lots of examples about how we are doing more for women, I also want to address a serious example of where women were let down. Every Australian, whether in the public or private health system, has the right to the highest quality and most appropriate clinical care available. Recently, we have seen allegations in Victoria of how patients accessing care for endometriosis were failed. These allegations are abhorrent, and the testimony from these women demonstrates their strength and their courage in coming forward to ensure that these issues can be properly investigated. We know how hard it is for many Australian women to get diagnosis and treatment for endometriosis, and for them to face this kind of extreme betrayal is not only heartbreaking but a breaking of their trust. Appropriately, and as the minister has outlined, there are a number of investigations under way into this matter, and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency is currently investigating Dr Gordon's conduct. Safer Care Victoria is participating in an independent review commissioned by Epworth Private Hospital to examine clinical governance at the hospital, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is investigating Dr Gordon's Medicare claims. We also welcome the Victorian Premier, the Hon. Jacinta Allan, referring the matter to Victoria Police for investigation. The government is working closely with all relevant agencies in Victoria and at the national level to ensure the allegations are fully investigated. Our government takes the care of women living with endometriosis incredibly seriously, and, whilst these women have been let down, we are doing our very best to make sure other Australian women have access to the care that they deserve. We have invested in 33 endometriosis and persistent-pelvic-pain clinics. The 33rd of these will be officially opened very soon. These clinics were part of a suite of initiatives being implemented to support women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain, including an update to the Australian Living Evidence Guideline: Endometriosis by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which was released in May last year to support evidence-based diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis and adenomyosis; the development of the endometriosis management plan to support patients and their healthcare providers in primary care, to be released this year; and continued funding for EndoZone, a digital platform for consumers and healthcare providers containing a vast range of information, resources, a symptom tracker and the latest research. We are absolutely determined in our commitment to delivering better healthcare options for Australian women, including making sure they have access to high-quality care that meets their needs. I'm proud to be part of a Labor government that is putting women at the centre of our policy development not only for their economic security and opportunity but also for their health care. I thank the House for the opportunity to provide an update today.