Albanese government takes action to close gender pay gap

The Albanese Labor Government is delivering on an election commitment to help close the gender pay gap at work.

The Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 will be introduced into Parliament and it’s set to bring about a sea of change in the way employers treat their female employees.

The bill will publish gender pay gaps of employers with 100 or more workers – a key reform to drive transparency and action towards closing the gender pay gap, including healthcare workers.

Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, said global experience shows transparency encourages organisations to take action to close the gender pay gap in their workplace.

She stated that for years, women working full-time have earned an average of 14.1% less than their male counterparts. This disparity has resulted in a loss of $51.8 billion a year, and with current projections, it could take another 26 years to close the gap. The Albanese Labor Government is determined to make a change, and this new bill will help them achieve their goal.

The new bill will publish gender pay gaps of employers with 100 or more workers, making it easier for companies to report and for employees to know if they’re being paid fairly.

With the bill, the government is taking a major step towards transparency and encouraging organizations to take action to close the gender pay gap in their workplace.

“Women have waited long enough for the pay gap to close – let’s not wait another quarter of a century,” Gallagher added.

This groundbreaking bill from the Albanese Labor Government will put an end to the gender pay gap, making sure women are paid the same as men for the same work. With reporting set to commence in 2024, it’s never been a better time to be a woman in the workforce.

This reform was recommended by the 2021 Review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012.

Ritchelle Drilon

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Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.

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