Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Colleagues, 2049 is currently the year when the pay gap between men and women is projected to close. In 26 years time, on current trends, women can expect to be paid equally with men in the workplace. I am proud to be part of a government that is not prepared to wait. I'm proud to be part of a government that is ready to act, and I'm proud to be part of a government that is not willing to leave it to the next generation. Because too many generations of women have had to suffer the indignity of being paid less than men for doing exactly the same work, and too many women have had to suffer the economic insecurity of their work being undervalued and underpaid, because their skills are just not properly recognised. We're calling time on that inequality.

The Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 is part of the solution, ensuring that employers report on their gender pay gap, that they provide that information publicly and that employers are part of the solution not the problem. This is because we are a government that sees women, because we are a government where women make up over 50 per cent and because our economic team understands the critical importance of women's work to the economy, women's work in the care sector, women's work in non-traditional industries and women's workforce participation everywhere. This bill is just a part of our commitment to make sure women are respected and valued at work and that they have the security they need to thrive. So too is our work to support higher pay rises for people on the minimum wage, many of whom are women; our work to support a historic pay rise for aged-care workers; and our work to recognise the critical importance of the care economy and investing in its workforce, who are overwhelmingly women.

Women deserve to be equal and respected at work, and to be equal and respected you need to be paid equally. That is what this bill helps to achieve. The gender pay gap alone costs the country over $51 billion a year, and, compared to other countries, Australia ranks poorly. We are currently ranked 43rd in the world for gender equality. It is absolutely not good enough. It's holding our country back, so we are not wasting any time in taking action. This bill is about two things: accountability and transparency. Because we know that you can't fix what you can't see. To truly close the gender pay gap, you need data from employers and you need to hold employers accountable. Gender equality in the workplace starts with pay. That's why this bill will require employers with over 100 staff to report their gender pay gap. It will provide more information on existing inequalities, and it puts employers on notice that they need to take action. This information will be published publicly on the website of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The bill will also require relevant employers to provide reports of that information to their governing bodies, providing even more transparency. Having this data available for all to see is a critical part of holding companies to account.

With this legislation, hiding the pay gap between men and women is just no longer acceptable. Undervaluing women's work is no longer acceptable. Transparency is powerful. Not only will government be able to see exactly where inequalities occur but so will current and prospective employees. This allows those employees more power in negotiating for fair wages, and it puts the onus back on employers to fix the pay gap. This bill was an election commitment made by Prime Minister Albanese, a commitment for reform that has been long overdue. We are a government that is committed to making gender equality a national priority, as it should be. Australian women deserve fair and safe working conditions. They deserve equal opportunity and equal pay. Women have waited long enough for the pay gap to close, so let's not wait another 26 years.