Fair Agenda

1. WOMEN’S SAFETY CALLS LEFT UNANSWERED

Right now, across every single Australian jurisdiction - women cannot access domestic, family, or sexual violence support services they need when or where they need them.

> Women and children in crisis are not able to receive the support they need to achieve safer futures.
In the ACT only 50% of calls to the Domestic Violence Crisis Service can be answered; in NSW women and children are waiting months for refuge accommodation.

> Those reaching out for early support are instead being left with escalating harm.

> Rape survivors seeking support to heal and recover are left without timely support, compounding and intensifying the impacts of harm.
That looks like a 9 month wait for sexual assault support in Queensland; and up to 18 month wait in Western Australia; and no service in your area for many people living in South Australia.

> Women seeking legal support aren’t able to get it - with more than 1,000 women per week, or approximately 52,000 women per year, having to be turned away from women’s legal services that aren’t resourced to support everyone who needs them.

The Government's February announcement of 5 years of funding for the Our Ways - Strong Ways - Our Voices, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026-36 was a vital and important investment in culturally safe and community-led services. But these and other services across the country need to be resourced at increased levels to reflect the scale of actual need.

2. IMPROVEMENTS TO TAX RULES SHAPING THE HOUSING MARKET

A good news story for women this budget is the promised changes to the tax rules that have been distorting our housing system.

The old Capital Gains Tax Discount rule directed billions of dollars of potential revenue towards tax incentives for investors - in a context where men are more likely to be property investors; and women are more likely to be struggling with rising house prices. In fact, recent data showed that 58% of the billions in benefits from this tax setting flowed to men (with an average benefit of $23,890 flowing to men; and $18,750 flowing to women).

Similarly, analysis showed that when it comes to the old negative gearing tax rules, 70% of the budget allocation benefit flowed to men. That is - for every $1 of budget money that flowed to women - $2.35 flowed to men.

These old Capital Gains Tax Discount and Negative Gearing rules not only incentivised and subsidised speculation by property investors, they contributed to pushing up prices for those looking to buy their first home; and in doing so perpetuated gender and intergenerational wealth gaps. All while taking funds out of our tax revenue that could be used to pay for services that benefit the whole community.

Tonight it was announced that the current Capital Gains Tax discount would be scrapped, and reverted to the model used previous to 1999 (the year when the Howard Government introduced these rigged rules and supercharged the housing crisis). From 1 July 2027, someone selling an investment property will contribute tax on any profits above the rate of inflation since they bought the property.