Earn
Labor sets sights on ‘not good enough’ gender pay gap
The opposition is calling for greater transparency over the gender pay gap in Australia, with a proposal to name and shame businesses who underpay women.

Labor sets sights on ‘not good enough’ gender pay gap
The opposition is calling for greater transparency over the gender pay gap in Australia, with a proposal to name and shame businesses who underpay women.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that more action was needed to slash Australia’s pay disparity between women and men, which is currently seeing women who work full-time make 86.6 per cent of a their male counterparts’ salary.
The leader of the opposition said his proposal would see companies with more than 250 staff members publicly share information about the gender pay gap within the organisation.
He highlighted that currently companies report gender pay data to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) with the results remaining private, which does not discourage employers from paying women less.
The opposition also said they would change prohibitions to secrecy clauses, which currently make it illegal for staff members in certain situations to discuss their salary with their co-workers.
“Now, that obviously has a significant constraint on employees who are bargaining for pay rises, so if someone was offering a woman less than they are offering a man to do the exact same job, then that should be transparent,” Mr Albanese said on 3AW radio.
He also said the public sector needed an audit to ensure gender pay parity, while announcing he would look to lift the wages for female-dominated industries.
“Industries that are dominated by women have fallen behind industries dominated by men in terms of pay,” he said.
Mr Albanese cited ABS data released in February which showed the pay gap narrowed to 13.4 per cent in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the improvement, women working full-time still earned $242 less than men each week, on average.
“That’s not good enough in 2021,” he said.
The leader of the opposition said it was bad economics having female workers getting paid on average less than their male counterparts.
“It is really bad economics. The society benefits from people participating in it in full, including the workforce,” he said.
“We know that low wages, which have been stagnant since 2013 are really holding back our economy,” he concluded.
About the author

About the author


Salary
Unemployment falls, job ads surge as recovery continues
Australia’s unemployment rate has hit a one-year low, while the number of businesses looking for staff has hit a 12-year high, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Salary
Job vacancies surge on eve of JobKeeper ending
Despite JobKeeper’s official end just over a week ago, businesses across the nation are looking for employees, stats have revealed. ...Read more

Salary
‘Cheap trick’ stimulus sees Virgin stand down hundreds of workers
Hundreds of Virgin Australia staff have been stood down without pay for at least three weeks as the government ends support for businesses. ...Read more

Salary
JobSeeker cuts push 155k Aussies into poverty
A further 155,000 Australians will plunge into poverty as the coronavirus supplement ends tomorrow, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Salary
ACTU pushes for $26 a week minimum wage increase
The unions have called for a $26 a week raise to the minimum wage in Australia, warning that Australia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is subject to a pay increase. ...Read more

Salary
Frydenberg defends JobKeeper wind-up as fear of job losses spikes
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has defended the government’s decision to end JobKeeper as economists and unions warn of impending job losses. ...Read more

Salary
Gender pay gap to persist for 26 years
The gender full-time remuneration gap will take around a quarter of a century to close, if progress continues at the same pace as it did in the past five years, a new study has projected. ...Read more

Salary
Withdrawing JobKeeper a body blow for workers
The ending of JobKeeper has been described as a “body blow” to jobs and the economy, as the government plots its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. ...Read more

Home values up 30% (or are they); NFTs taking the world by storm, and why Keating thinks Aussies will be ‘poor’ in retirement
Listen now

Raging floods, the tech stock bubble and the ongoing SG debate
Listen now

Meet the Manager with Trilogy’s Philip Ryan: RBA rates and property price growth
Listen now

The continued property boom, ethical investing and engaging with your super fund
Listen now

Salary
Unemployment falls, job ads surge as recovery continues
Australia’s unemployment rate has hit a one-year low, while the number of businesses looking for staff has hit a 12-year high, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Salary
Job vacancies surge on eve of JobKeeper ending
Despite JobKeeper’s official end just over a week ago, businesses across the nation are looking for employees, stats have revealed. ...Read more

Salary
‘Cheap trick’ stimulus sees Virgin stand down hundreds of workers
Hundreds of Virgin Australia staff have been stood down without pay for at least three weeks as the government ends support for businesses. ...Read more

Salary
JobSeeker cuts push 155k Aussies into poverty
A further 155,000 Australians will plunge into poverty as the coronavirus supplement ends tomorrow, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Salary
ACTU pushes for $26 a week minimum wage increase
The unions have called for a $26 a week raise to the minimum wage in Australia, warning that Australia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is subject to a pay increase. ...Read more

Salary
Frydenberg defends JobKeeper wind-up as fear of job losses spikes
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has defended the government’s decision to end JobKeeper as economists and unions warn of impending job losses. ...Read more

Salary
Gender pay gap to persist for 26 years
The gender full-time remuneration gap will take around a quarter of a century to close, if progress continues at the same pace as it did in the past five years, a new study has projected. ...Read more

Salary
Withdrawing JobKeeper a body blow for workers
The ending of JobKeeper has been described as a “body blow” to jobs and the economy, as the government plots its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. ...Read more