NSW political parties and candidates can raise the bar by delivering for women on six key policy areas, chiefly the state's housing crisis, the Women's Electoral Lobby says.
The non-party political women's rights group outlined its six policy demands, in a bid to hold candidates and parties to account for their election commitments to women in the upcoming election.
The top policy asks include a commitment to build 5,000 social and affordable homes annually for 10 years, doubling funding for Women's Health Centres, increasing frontline domestic violence services staff and a free pre-kindergarten year across the state for up to five days a week.
Rounding off the list is a demand for school curriculums to teach courses on respectful relationships and to increase the political participation of women in parliament.
There are 44 women across both houses in the NSW parliament of a total 135 members.
"In a cost of living crisis which hits women hard, our health, housing and early childhood education and care policies can lower living costs and deliver critical support to women," the group's national convenor Jozefa Sobski said.
The group is calling on a future NSW government to dramatically increase social housing and lower rents with the new Commonwealth Housing Agreement as a driver.
This week, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet pushed the coalition's landmark offer to introduce a year of universal pre-kindergarten, saying $1 billion would be spent on building 500 new preschools on the grounds of existing schools.
The government says it means 50,000 students will be able to access five days of free pre-kinder in the next four years.
The group also praised the decriminalisation of abortion in NSW in 2019 as a significant milestone for women's rights.
It noted many NSW women continue to have restricted access to contraceptive advice and choices and limited or no access to abortion in public health facilities.
A report in the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday found only two public hospitals in Newcastle and Wagga Wagga provide abortion services forcing many women to seek expensive surgery in private hospitals.
The lobby is demanding the state government extend access to contraceptive options and to institute free reproductive health care through Medicare and the PBS.
Last month, the premier announced the rollout of a $5 million trial to allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions for the contraceptive pill and prescribe medications for urinary tract infections.
The trial, to start on April 1, if the government is returned to office, would mean consultation fees for women aged between 18 and 65 with UTI issues and 18-35 for the contraceptive pill will be covered by the government for a year.
"NSW has the capacity to lead the states and stand side by side with the federal government in policies to create a gender equal Australia," the group said.
The group's signature electoral scorecard tackling gender inequality will be released next week ahead of the March 25 poll.
"In relation to our priority demands, our scorecard will assess which parties have committed to actions which genuinely tackle gender inequality," the lobby's NSW convenor Mary O'Sullivan said.
"In relation to our priority demands, our scorecard will assess which parties have committed to actions which genuinely tackle gender inequality," Dr O'Sullivan said.
