Status of Women

The committee met to study the subject matter of the main estimates 2025-26 for the Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE). Appearing were Frances McRae, Deputy Minister, Department for Women and Gender Equality, and Etienne-René Massie, Assistant Deputy Minister, Small Business, Tourism and Marketplace Services, Department of Industry.

Frances McRae explained that the $660 million announced by the minister before the budget would provide stable, ongoing funding for the women's program, gender-based violence prevention and 2SLGBTQI+ community supports, and that the departmental plan figures cited by members reflected previous decisions and did not account for the proposed budget. She confirmed the minister received a letter asking for spending reduction proposals but said the contents of the reply were confidential. She noted that WAGE funds projects rather than core operations, and that capacity-building grants help organizations become more sustainable. She said the department works with other departments on women's health and justice issues, and that it uses disaggregated data and oversampling in rural and northern areas to target programming. She disagreed with the premise that investments have not produced results, arguing that rising police reports may reflect increased trust, and she highlighted projects engaging men and boys, such as White Ribbon's "My Friend Max Hate" campaign.

Etienne-René Massie stated that the women entrepreneurship strategy involves 20 federal departments and has increased the share of women-owned SMEs with employees from 15.6% to 19%, while women sole entrepreneurs now represent 34% of all sole entrepreneurs. He said the state of entrepreneurship report is updated annually and that the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub publishes a separate annual report.

The committee also debated procedural matters and the timing of the minister's pre-budget announcement, with some members arguing it was contempt of Parliament, but no motions were moved or voted on.