Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question this afternoon is for the Minister for Women, Senator Gallagher. Women's economic equality is central to achieving gender equality. Gender equality at work is an important aspect of this, and today the Workplace Gender Equality Agency revealed that the gender pay gap has reduced by over one per cent—the biggest reduction in the gender pay gap in eight years. Can the minister please update the Senate on the latest gender pay gap figures and the work the government is doing to advance women's economic equality and close the gender pay gap?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Pratt for the question and for the work that she's done over many years in addressing and seeking gender equality in Australia. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency released its 2022-23 gender equality scorecard today, and the scorecard confirms that the gender pay gap, as calculated by WGEA, has dropped 1.1 per cent to 21.7 per cent. And can I put on the record my thanks for the hardworking staff at WGEA. I had the opportunity to meet with them last week in person—and, for those staff that work outside the Sydney office, online—and I know they'd all been working incredibly hard to get this gender equality scorecard finalised and ready for release. The results of the scorecard are great. It's the biggest reduction since 2015, and it comes after the WGEA gender pay gap had stagnated over the last two years. That 1.1 per cent reduction might sound abstract, but it's the equivalent to narrowing the gap by $1,322 a year.

However, there is much more work to do, with a gap the equivalent of $26,393 a year remaining. These results in the scorecard are from the largest-ever employer census, covering 4.82 million employees. The gap is calculated on total remuneration and on a full-time equivalent basis, which gives us a full picture of how men and women are faring in the workplace. WGEA is doing important work to help identify the drivers of the gap and where we need to focus our effort to close it. The data collected by WGEA is an invaluable resource and a critical evidence base. The data shows there are a range of issues that drive the gender pay gap as well as showing what is helping to close it. It helps us at an economy- and sector-wide level, but it also helps industries and individual employers understand where their challenges lie.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pratt, a first supplementary?

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister mentioned that the Workplace Gender Equality Agency scorecard has presented a range of issues relevant to closing the gender pay gap and supporting women's economic equality. Can the minister please tell us more about those findings and any work the government is doing in these areas?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Pratt for the supplementary. As everyone in this place knows, we will be reporting at an employer level on the gender pay gap next year, with those results available early next year. That will shine a real light on the gender pay gap and provide some transparency for employees and other employers as well. In terms of what's driving the closure of the gender pay gap, increased numbers of women in management positions are helping to close it. Workforce composition, the flexibility to manage work and care, and women's representation in leadership and senior roles underpin efforts to close the gender pay gap, but progress is still too slow. We have to keep working to address it.

Some of our initiatives—domestic violence leave entitlements, gender targets in our Skills Guarantee and supporting pay increases in feminised aged-care sectors—are all connected efforts that go to closing the gender pay gap, valuing women's work and supporting women's economic equality.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pratt, a second supplementary?

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So we can see that closing the gender pay gap is just one of the things that needs to happen in order for us to achieve women's economic equality. Can the minister outline the government's work to advance gender equality and how the government is working for women and working to make Australia a more equal country?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Pratt for that second supplementary question. We can't separate economic equality for women from the rest of their lives—from caring responsibilities and their right to live free from violence. This is a government that understands these connections and understands that all the systems need to work for women if we are going to shift the dial on gender equality.

As a government, we are coming at this from every angle. In the last two budgets, we've made the biggest investment in gender equality that we've seen for some time. We've modernised and expanded PPL, we've made child care cheaper, we've expanded parenting payment single and we've abolished ParentsNext. We've put a gender lens on our workplace relations system and supported pay rises for the lowest paid. We've invested a record $2.3 billion in women's safety, reformed the family law system, legislated paid domestic and family violence leave, and invested in housing for women escaping violence.

There is much more work to do and our national strategy on gender equality will be released next year. (Time expired)