Australian PM promises cultural change for female workers

Canberra, Aug 29 In his address marking 100 days since taking office, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday promised a "cultural change" to improve conditions for women in the workplace.

Albanese flagged a shift to a "reform and renewal" agenda, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Government has a responsibility to plan for the future, to build for the long-term, to implement the reforms that arm people with every chance to fulfil their potential," he told the National Press Club (NPC).

Albanese declared he has not wasted a day in office since leading the Labor Party to election victory, having taken action to raise Australia's emissions reduction target and increase wages for low-paid workers.

He identified Labor's list of election promises including reviving the local manufacturing industry, cleaner and cheaper energy, cheaper childcare and better skills and training as next priorities.

Ahead of the government's two-day jobs summit, which starts on Thursday, Albanese said "after 30 years in which the gender gap has hardly budged", he was hoping for serious improvement in economic equality for women.

"This is going to take more than legislative change, we need a culture change too," he said.

Albanese said there will still be challenges when the summit ends on Friday afternoon, including a trillion dollars of debt, families struggling with cost-of-living pressures, staff and skills needed for businesses big and small.

"But for the first time in a long time, I believe we will be moving to agreement on how to solve these problems, rather than arguing over who is to blame for them," he said.

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