WGEA welcomes legislative reforms creating a pathway to close the gender pay gap

WGEA is excited to welcome the passing of the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 on 30 March 2023 in the Federal Parliament.

Together with the remade Legislative Instruments (6th Feb), these reforms are a significant step forward to help accelerate employer action to close the gender pay gap.?

They implement in part, or in full, six of the 10 recommendations of the 2021 WGEA Review and provide a roadmap to close the gender pay gap in Australia.

We look forward to working with the government, employers and others to implement these important reforms.

Read WGEA's statement on the Closing the Gender Pay Gap Bill

An Australian first: publishing employer gender pay gaps

Under the new legislation, WGEA will publish employer gender pay gaps, in addition to publishing the gender pay gap at a national, industry and occupational level.?

International research is showing that publishing employer pay gaps can be a powerful motivation for companies to prioritise gender equality and to lower their gender pay gaps. In the UK, the approach has already motivated employers to substantially narrow the wage gap between men and women.

These reforms will encourage employers to deploy and drive workplace policies, practices and environments that support gender equality, creating meaningful shifts in Australian working life.

Read our comprehensive guide to the WGEA reforms

Private sector gender equality reporting is now open

Gender Equality reporting for private sector employers with 100 or more employees opened on April 1.?

Reporting contacts can access all the information they need for reporting in?WGEA’s Reporting Guide ?to get ready for reporting.?

Head to the WGEA reporting portal to complete your reporting

WGEA announces new Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation-holders

A cohort of 25 organisations were added to the existing list of 104 WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation holders this month.

These leading employers all passed a rigorous, evidence-informed evaluation of workplace policies and actions across seven key areas.

Workforce analysis of the Employers of Choice for Gender Equality shows they?have?on average;?26% lower gender pay gaps. They also have more women on governing bodies: 37.2% compared to 31% for others.

See the full list of current EOCGE citation-holders