Workplace Gender Equality Agency
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The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is an
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...
statutory agency responsible for promoting and improving
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
in Australian workplaces. The agency was created by the ''Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012'' and provides employers with advice, practical tools, and education to help them improve gender equality. The ''Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012'' was enacted by an amendment to the ''Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999,'' that changed its name to the ''Workplace Gender Equality Act'' and correspondingly changed the name of the Equality Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency is part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.


Activities

Non-public sector employers with 100 or more staff are required to report to the agency annually, between 1 April-31 May, against six gender equality indicators: # Gender composition of the workforce # Gender composition of governing bodies of relevant employers # Equal remuneration between women and men # Availability and utility of employment terms, conditions and practices relating to flexible working arrangements for employees and to working arrangements supporting employees with family or caring responsibilities # Consultation with employees on issues concerning gender equality in the workplace # Any other matters specified by the Minister: sex-based harassment and discrimination The Agency uses the data to develop confidential and customised Competitor Analysis Benchmark Reports for employers, that allow them to compare their performance to their peers. The WGEA dataset is unique, covering 4 million employees or around 40% of the Australian workforce, providing a detailed insight into the state of gender equality in Australian workplaces, and at an industry and sector level. The WGEA's data is publicly available and searchable at https://data.wgea.gov.au


Key statistics

The following statistics were sourced from WGEA's 2017-18 dataset: https://www.wgea.gov.au/data/wgea-research/australias-gender-equality-scorecard * Australia's
gender pay gap The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: non-adjusted ...
is 21.3% based on full-time total remuneration, and 16.2% based on full-time base remuneration. * 17.1% of CEOs are women * 30.5% of Key Management Personnel positions held by women * 39.1% of managers are women * 6.4% of management positions are part-time * 70.7% of employers have a flexible working policy or strategy * 74.3% have an overall gender equality strategy and/or policy * 46.9% of employers have a domestic violence policy or strategy


Agency director

Mary Wooldridge Mary Louise Newling Wooldridge (born 29 July 1967) is a former Australian politician. She was a Liberal Party member of the Parliament of Victoria from 2006 to 2019. She was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the seat ...
was announced as the new director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency in April 2021. Before joining the Agency, Wooldridge served from 2006 to 2020 in the Victorian Parliament, including a term as Minister for Mental Health, Community Services, and Women’s Affairs. As minister, Wooldridge worked to implement the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 and was instrumental in establishing
Our Watch Our Watch, formerly Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children, is an Australian organisation that exists to help prevent violence against women and their children. Founded in mid-2013 with Natasha Stott Despoja as founding ...
, the national
family violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partner ...
prevention agency. She was the Minister responsible for signing Victoria up to the
National Disability Insurance Scheme The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a scheme of the Australian Government that funds costs associated with disability. The scheme was legislated in 2013 and went into full operation in 2020. The scheme is administered by the Na ...
(NDIS). She established the Victorian Commission for Children and Young People, including the nation’s first Aboriginal Commissioner, Parkville College – an award-winning Public School in Youth Justice Centres, and Australia’s first Mental Health Complaints Commissioner and the Family Drug Treatment Court. Prior to being elected to Parliament, Wooldridge was the CEO of
The Foundation for Young Australians The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) is an Australian non-profit organisation whose purpose is to back young people with the trust, resources, skills, and connections to make change. The organisation's vision is that young people have the ...
and worked with
McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm founded in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey, that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. McKinsey is the oldest and ...
and
Consolidated Press Holdings James Douglas Packer (born 8 September 1967) is an Australian billionaire businessman and investor. Packer is the son of Kerry Packer , a media mogul, and his wife, Roslyn Packer . He is the grandson of Sir Frank Packer. He inherited contr ...
.


References

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External links


Workplace Gender Equality Agency

About the WGEA
(wgea.gov.au) Retrieved August 22, 2013
The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012
(comlaw) 2012 establishments in Australia Commonwealth Government agencies of Australia Government agencies established in 2012