Its been said time and time again, that what gets measured, gets done. We echo the comments of Mike Smith – what good reason then, could there be for the government to water down the reporting introduced by the WGEA in 2012 if the result is only likely to reduce the focus on gender equality in an organisation? For some reason, the Abbott government seems unable to deliver policies and procedures that go to the heart of their goal of increasing female participation in the workforce. So, in the spirit of ‘making it happen’ this International Women’s Day, we’ve come up with 6 key tips to deliver an effective families package that supports women back into the workforce:

1. Increase the paid parental leave scheme to 18 weeks at the replacement wage, plus superannuation
2. Cap the childcare rebate at $250K combined income
3. Make childcare tax deductible
4. Provide paid partner’s leave of 12 days to be taken 1 day a week for consecutive weeks, on a use it or lose it basis, provided that its to support the child’s mother to return to the workforce
5. Implement a national return to work support program (Grace Papers, of course!)
6. Appoint a female Minister for Women!