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

I thank Senator Mulholland for the question and for her ongoing interest in gender equality and the gender pay gap. The report today from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency's use of data shows that the gender pay gap continues to narrow, dropping to 21.1 per cent, down from 28.8 per cent. This report includes CEO and manager pay and captures total remuneration for workers in private sector firms with 100 or more employees. The median gender pay gap is down to 16.4 per cent, from 18.3 per cent, the biggest drop since median pay gaps have been reported.

This progress follows significant reform by our government to introduce gender pay gap reporting at the employer level, bringing transparency and accountability to the gender pay gap conversation. From next year, employers with 500 or more employees will need to set targets for gender equality in their workplace, driving faster change. There are some promising signs reported in this year's scorecard. More men are taking paid parental leave, with men representing 20 per cent of all employees who took primary carer parental leave, which is a great result. The scorecard also shows that 99 per cent of employers have a policy to prevent sexual harassment, following reforms by our government to implement the Respect@Work recommendations. Employers are also advancing gender equality by adopting flexible work arrangements, especially for managers continuing to review gender pay gaps.

There is still work to do. Progress to improve gender balance on governing boards is too slow, with nearly a quarter of all governing boards having no women on them at all. The scorecard also shows that discretionary payments such as performance bonuses, allowances and overtime are driving up the gender pay gap, with men on average earning 60 per cent more than women through such payments.