Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

  (i) that 2019 marks the 50 year anniversary of the equal pay decision that gave women the right to be paid the same as their male counterparts,

  (ii) the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Equality Scorecard, released on 13 November 2019, which found that:

(A) the base salary gap between men and women across all industries and occupations is 15.5% or $15,176 per annum,

(B) when accounting for total remuneration, including overtime and bonuses, the real gap is wider, with men earning $25,679, or 20.8%, more than women each year on average,

(C) the number of female CEOs has remained static at 17.1% , and women make up only 26.8% of board positions,

(D) gender pay gaps favour men across all industries and all levels of the workforce, with financial services, real estate and construction recording the highest gaps,

(E) fewer than 50% of employers offer paid parental leave for employees, and

(F) while 73% of workplaces have a formal policy and strategy in place to support flexible working arrangements for employees, only 2.3% have set targets for men's engagement in flexible work, and

  (iii) that the Federal Government's Retirement Income Review Consultation paper acknowledges that the wages gap between men and women affects women's ability to save for retirement, leading to women retiring with lower average superannuation balances than men; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to:

  (i) increase the resourcing for WGEA and expand its coverage to include the public sector,

  (ii) require all large employers to publicly report their gender pay gap, and strengthen WGEA's powers to take action against employers who fail to report,

  (iii) prohibit the use of pay gag clauses in employment contracts, which disguise the gender pay gap in the private sector,

  (iv) require superannuation contributions to be made for employees taking paid parental leave,

  (v) set gender pay equality as an objective of awards and the Fair Work Act, and

  (vi) take action to close the gender retirement income gap.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government has acted on this issue by providing an additional $8.6 million to the WGEA to improve workplace gender reporting. This funding will allow organisations, including the public sector, to report to the WGEA. The Fair Work system, as introduced by the former Labor government, already incorporates the principle of equal remuneration in setting safety net terms and conditions and provides mechanisms to ensure the independent Fair Work Commission can adjust terms and conditions, including on work value grounds.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor will vote for this motion on the basis that it reflects principles that are important to Australian women. Labor is acutely aware of the issues confronting Australian women at work and the continuing significance of the gender pay gap. Indeed, in the last two parliaments Labor has been instrumental in driving consideration of these issues in this place. While we support the motion, which in part (b) essentially reproduces the policy Labor took to the last election, we make the following obvious point. Labor revisits its policies at every election. Labor will release detailed costed policies prior to the next election, including policies in relation to women's economic security. Unlike the Greens, as a party of government, we take responsibility for ensuring that our announced policies are affordable and able to be implemented. The next election will be no different.

Question agreed to.