On Saturday 9th March we marched in solidarity and support of Women in Australia and the USU! International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
Australia’s first International Women’s Day was held in 1928 in Sydney. Organised by the Militant Women’s Movement, women called for equal pay for equal work, an 8 hour working day for shop girls and paid leave. The next year the event spread to Brisbane. In 1931, annual marches were launched in both Sydney and Melbourne and both marches continue to be held today.
Since these early days, International Women’s Day has continued to grow. It is a day to celebrate women’s achievements, and both highlight and work to address barriers that continue to perpetuate gender inequality.
Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere.
You can join the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/USUWomen/
Women’s Committee meet at Parliament House
The USU Women’s Committee attended Parliament House on the eve of international women’s day to address women’s issues. Thank you to Anna Watson MP for guiding the discussions and Minister Ron Hoenig MP for joining us for morning tea to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Great wins!
Superannuation on Paid Parental Leave:
From July 2025 super will be paid on government-funded paid parental leave. Before now, Paid Parental Leave was the only leave type that was not eligible for superannuation payments. This contributed to many women retiring with less super than men on average. All workers deserve a secure and dignified retirement. Super being paid on every dollar earned is a huge step towards achieving this.
Paid Parental Leave is increasing to 6 months:
On 18 March, the Albanese Labor Government have passed legislation to expand Paid Parental Leave to 6 months.
This is a huge win by union members for fairer workplaces, for women, for parents, and all workers.
Right now, families can access 20 weeks of Government Paid Parental Leave which will increase from July 1, 2024, by 2 weeks each year until it reaches 26 weeks (or 6 months!) in 2026.
Not only is this a significant increase in the overall amount of leave available to families but this legislation will also allow parents greater flexibility to arrange care how they need with the 26 weeks available to be shared by both parents.
Big improvements like this don’t just happen – they happen because union members like you join together and take action at work to build fairer working conditions and entitlements and don’t back down until every worker sees the benefit.
Share this with a friend and ask them to be part of our movement, it’s easy to join the United Services Union here online.
