Annastacia Palaszczk calls for ‘national women’s summit’

Annastacia Palaszczuk says she’ll use Friday’s national cabinet meeting to ask the PM for a summit to discuss ‘really big issues’.

Annastacia Palaszczuk says she will use Friday’s national cabinet meeting to ask Scott Morrison to hold a “national women’s summit” to fight for equality.

Shortly after announcing Queensland had recorded six new COVID-19 cases, all in hotel quarantine, the premier revealed her plans to call for the summit.

“I actually think the time is now right for our country to have a national women’s summit to look at gender inequality, economic inequality, look at action to address the gender pay gap, the superannuation gap, issues of affordable childcare,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“These are really big issues in terms of women’s equality.

“I also think issues of sexual harassment in the workplace are really important.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she would write to the Prime Minister on Wednesday and ask for other state leaders to support the call.

She praised Mr Morrison for holding a meeting on Tuesday with his government’s newly-formed women’s taskforce but said her government regularly had strong female representation at the cabinet table.

Ms Palaszczuk’s call for the summit follows a stoush between Canberra and her deputy, Steven Miles, who accused Scott Morrison of using the slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout as a distraction from issues of “rape and sexual assault” in Canberra.