Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank very much all of the speakers who have contributed to the debate on the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023. Of course, we know that when the minister in the other place, the Minister for Women, introduced this bill projections showed that it would take another 26 years to close the gender gay pap. Women have waited long enough for the pay gap to close and they should not have to wait another quarter of a century to see their work equally valued. Today, with the passing of this bill, we are taking action to actually start to close that gap.

This bill will be a key driver for employer action and transparency and accountability, and it will help to speed up progress towards gender equality in the workplace. It will do this by, for the first time, allowing the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to publish gender pay gaps at employer level, not just at industry level.

The bill responds to the review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. I am pleased to see the broad support for the review's recommendations and for the steps we're taking through this bill to progress implementation of those recommendations. Again, I would like to thank all of those who took the time to put in a submission. It was heartening to see that there was an overwhelmingly positive response, and it showed a commitment, particularly by businesses, to making progress to close the gender pay gap. Government has an important role to play in advancing gender equality, but government cannot do this work alone. We need to work with employers, unions and the community. We can see that willingness to work together in the response to this bill and to the committee inquiry on it.

We will keep working, because the bill is just the first step. There are further reforms to come, especially in collecting diversity data and lifting the standards for larger employers. The Office for Women and the agency will continue to work to identify the best pathway for us to legislate those important changes. The agency will also work with employers to ensure they are supported and able to step up to the plate. This bill is a critical step towards achieving women's economic equality because it is getting on with the job of closing the gender pay gap for women in Australia so they don't have to wait for another quarter of a century.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.