DCA has welcomed the passing of the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill.
Among other things, this legislation will:
- Make gender equity a central objective of the Fair Work Act;
- Establish two new Fair Work Commission Expert Panels, one on Pay Equity and one on the Care and Community Sector;
- Make it easier to address low pay in feminised industries;
- Expand access to flexible work arrangements; and
- Expressly prohibit sexual harassment in the Fair Work Act.
DCA also welcomes the introduction of a process and committee to assess the rates of payments to welfare recipients prior to the budget each year.
Quotes attributable to Lisa Annese, CEO, Diversity Council Australia:
“DCA welcomes the passing of this legislation which includes important reforms for gender equality in Australia.
“Elements of the Bill designed to address the gender pay gap, in particular low pay in feminised industries, are particularly important and DCA has advocated for these measures for a number of years.
“The 14.1% gender pay gap in Australia is unacceptable. Our recent work She’s Price(d)less found that industrial and occupational segregation continue to be significant drivers of the gender pay gap and DCA is pleased to see that the government is taking action to address this significant driver of pay inequality.
“These new reforms will make significant inroads to addressing the gender pay gap and creating more gender equal workplaces.”
Media Contact – media@dca.org.au