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

I thank Senator Smith for the supplementary question. The data today shows that the median gender pay gap is equivalent to just over $18,000 a year. If you're a woman working in a male dominated industry, the median pay gap is over $27,000, and if you work in construction the median gap is over $38,000. With this data, businesses and workers are armed with powerful information about where employers need to focus their efforts. They may focus on recruitment and promotion or addressing industry and occupation gender segregation, which is a big problem in this country. They may also look at workplace flexibility and the structure of bonuses. The government looks forward to continuing to work with businesses and WGEA to make sure we are closing the gender pay gap. At the pace we're going now, it'll take another quarter of a century to close that gap, and we think that is too long.