Ms MILLER-FROST (Boothby) (11:03): 26 September marks 30 years since the Australian Labor Party adopted affirmative action quotas for women to be preselected as candidates in held and winnable seats. I'm very pleased to be standing here as part of a majority female government caucus. Every quota and target since their adoption by the party has been met. In 1994, the ALP National Conference set a quota of 35 per cent female candidates by 2002. The caucus was made up of 35 per cent women following the 2004 election. In 2002, this was lifted to 40 per cent by 2012, and we hit that in the 2013 election. In 2015, the ALP National Conference adopted a target of 50 per cent women MPs and senators by 2025, and this was achieved at the 2022 election. The federal caucus is currently around 53 per cent female, and across the parliaments of Australia 50.2 per cent of all Labor elected members of parliament are women. We look like the communities that we represent. This stands in contrast to the parties that form the coalition, with the Liberals at 33.2 per cent, the Nationals at 33.3 per cent and the Leader of the Opposition's own party, the LNP, at just 17.6 per cent. Indeed, the Liberal Party, in the 47th parliament, have recorded their lowest female representation in parliament since 1993, and it's gone backwards since 2015, when they set a target of 50 per cent female representation. I think it's telling and, frankly, sad that no members of those parties opposite chose to speak on this important matter today. I hope that they're sitting in their offices— Dr Garland: Karen Andrews is here. Ms MILLER-FROST: My apologies, Member for McPherson—thank you. I hope that they are sitting in their offices reflecting on how this looks and how this shows their lack of commitment to gender equity—present company excepted. Labor's commitment has led to a history of firsts for women: the first woman to be deputy leader of a major party, former member for Jagajaga Jenny Macklin; the first woman to be Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister and leader of a major party, former member for Lalor Julia Gillard; the first woman to be Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate and Leader of the Government in the Senate, and the longest-serving female cabinet minister, Senator Penny Wong; the longest-serving woman elected to federal parliament, the member for Sydney, Tanya Plibersek; the first Indigenous woman elected to the Senate, former senator Nova Peris; the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Representatives, the member for Barton, Linda Burney; and the first female Attorney-General, former member for Gellibrand Nicola Roxon. In the Labor Party, I'm pleased to say that the debate about whether and how to include women is done. Around our table, over 50 per cent of us are women, and there is 100 per cent support for making sure we continue to include talented, experienced women in every aspect of life and in all of our policies. The key to this change over time has been affirmative action applying to all positions within the party: conferences, administrative committees, party office positions and candidates for public office. It is a broad culture change across the party that has delivered a better outcome. You won't achieve more women in public office without giving women more opportunity, experience and exposure at those other positions within the party. Arguably, better representation at the parliamentary level has delivered better outcomes for women, who make up 51 per cent of the population across the country. We have a record low gender pay gap of 11.5 per cent. Of course, the correct gender pay gap is zero, but the downward trend is as a result of deliberate policies implemented by this government, and they've delivered some welcome results: cheaper child care, paid domestic violence leave, pay rises for minimum-wage workers and low-paid feminised industries, the expansion of paid parental leave, fairer tax cuts that left 90 per cent of women better off and prac payments for nursing, midwifery, teaching and social work students, the majority of whom are female. We've opened 22 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across Australia for the one in seven women who suffer from this debilitating condition, and, of course, we have a gender lens on the entire budget. As we recognise the amazing gains that the commitment to affirmative action in the Labor Party has delivered, we recognise that we still have a long way to go in the broader society. But I'd like to thank those members from 30 years ago who recognised the problem—representation—and did something about it. Women belong in the House, in the Senate and in the cabinet, and I'd encourage those opposite to do the same. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Freelander ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.