Workforce Australia (WFA) commenced in 2021 as a result of the findings of key reviews into the Jobactive program. Under the new model performance criteria have addressed some key failures of the previous systems. However the changes do not address some of the underlying flaws in how services are delivered to job seekers.

We understand the focus on work and care to apply to both the intersection of workplace laws with informal caring responsibilities, but also the intersection of the workplace laws with employment in the care sector.

NFAW is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Australian women, including intellectual, cultural, political, social, economic, legal, industrial and domestic spheres, and ensuring that the aims and ideals of the women’s movement and its collective wisdom are handed on to new generations of women. NFAW is a feminist organisation, independent of party politics and working Supporting women to achieve VET-based careers –Discussion Paper in partnership with other women’s organisations.

NFAW is grateful for the invitation to contribute to the review of the operation of the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Act 2021(Cth) (the FW SAJER Act). We note, however, that 12 months is a short time in which to establish reliable impact data, especially when employment behaviour during that period has also been affected by the national pandemic response.

We do wish, however, to strongly commend the Government on the full package of measures addressing job security and gender equality (this includes the Supported Bargaining Stream and the Cooperative Bargaining Stream targeting small business).

we particularly want to note and welcome the package of amendments relating to equal remuneration. The provisions in this package fully implement the government’s election commitments, but more than that they display a desire to see pay equity work for women.

NFAW is grateful for the invitation to contribute to the review of the operation of the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Act 2021 (Cth) (the FW SAJER Act). We note, however, that 12 months is a short time in which to establish reliable impact data, especially when employment behaviour during that period has also been affected by the national pandemic response.

The Bill straight forwardly embraces the suite of recommendations made by NFAW and other commentators from the sector on remedying the deficiencies of the previous Government’s response to Respect@Work.

The Government’s commitments to extend PPL to 26 weeks should be included in the Bill. As the overall length of PPL periods increase to 2026, fathers and partners should be actively encouraged to access the PPL provisions, through effective and targeted campaigns, and in particular by increasing the ‘use it or lose it’ period.

The changes to the Fair Work Act proposed in the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill will affect women and men in different ways because the structure of the workforce is not gender neutral. In the case of the current legislative package, most of the proposed changes actively remove rights and entitlements of women by targeting female dominated sectors.

Most of the provisions included in the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 (the Bill) were recommended in the submissions made by NFAW and other women’s organisations to the 2021 Review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (the Review).

NFAW congratulates the Government on the introduction of an amendment to the Fair Work Act to provide 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave as part of the National Employment Standards. NFAW is one of many organisations that have repeatedly sought such an amendment.

It is now widely acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting women and men in different ways; it is not gender neutral. The by-products of economic shock and its impact on insecure employment have hit women particularly hard. Women are over-represented in industries most affected by the virus.

We are responding to the terms of reference through a gender lens. Women’s workforce participation reflects their role as unpaid carers as it changes over the working lifecycle. The industrial relations framework penalises women as it is based on the male breadwinner model, while the tax-transfer system imposes high EMTRs on second incomes and gender segregation limits career progression.

mproving decision-making around future pandemics requires an understanding of the decision-making that underpinned Australia’s COVID-19 response – not only how decisions were made, but also by whom and on what basis.

The Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill 2021 (the Bill) is minimalist in its ambitions and achievements: indeed, many of its provisions are described by the government in its Explanatory Memorandum as merely clarifying existing provisions of the relevant legislation (paras 14, 18, 19, 21, 24 and 184).

Insecure employment affects women and men in different ways; it is not gender neutral. This submission responds to the Inquiry’s terms of reference through a gender lens. The displacement of secure by insecure work is not due to a single factor such as growth in casual work.

NFAW is concerned that, while women want meaningful action to prevent sexual harassment, this consultation paper appears focused on reasons for legislative inaction. Over and over again, the consultation paper deploys the four standard reasons for not implementing critical amendments to Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation.

Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Job Security’s Inquiry into the impact of insecure or precarious employment on the economy, wages, social cohesion and workplace rights and conditions. This submission is being made by the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW).

Implements certain recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission report, Respect@Work. National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces by amending the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 to amend the definition of ‘unlawful discrimination’; and extend the period of time between an alleged incident and the lodging of a complaint in relation to the President’s discretion to terminate a complaint;

Insecure employment affects women and men in different ways; it is not gender neutral. This submission responds to the Inquiry’s terms of reference through a gender lens. The displacement of secure by insecure work is not due to a single factor such as growth in casual work.

The bundle of behaviours called wage theft refers to employer non-compliance with minimum standards in base wages, loadings, overtime or superannuation. While widespread, wage theft is not gender neutral. The behaviour involved most commonly and most significantly affects low paid employees in part-time and casual work—all groups in which women predominate.

The Government has recently issued a Discussion Paper canvassing penalties for wage theft. However, in our view neither the discussion paper nor the proposed remedies came to terms with the extent and implications of non-compliance with legal wage and entitlements requirements. For this reason, we welcome the opportunity offered by this Inquiry to extend the national conversation on wage theft beyond the limited proposals raised in the discussion paper.

Wage theft is endemic in Australia and a contributor to the persistent low wage growth undermining the national economy (McKenzie, 2018). It has a massive direct impact on employees who lose entitlements (on average $10,789 for each affected employee) and costs taxpayers over $600m annually (PwC, 2012, iii).

This submission briefly addresses the gender segregation issues identified in the first three terms of reference. The issues identified in those sections are expanded upon and addressed in detail under the last two terms of reference, which discuss approaches to gender segregation and suggested remedies.

Commentson Selected Recommendations of the 2017 report of the Senate Finance And Public Administration Committee concerning Gender Segregation In the Workplace. We appreciate Labor’s invitation to put our views on the matters identified in the consultation paper. Our commentary below is numbered to mirror the sections of the consultation paper to which it responds.

NFAW notes that a number of employer associations are attempting to rely in their submissions on views expressed in the recently released Productivity Commission report on the Workplace RelationsFramework.

The National Foundation of Australian Women, NFAW, is a non-politically aligned feminist organisation committed to examining the potentially differential impact of policies and their outcomes for men and women and whether the consequences of policies, intended or unintended adversely affect women. ,The aged care workforce is an area of major policy interest to NFAW on four grounds.

While the well-being of employees is a reasonable point of departure, the Commission takes as its unit of analysis the male employee, arguing that current labour standards should not be modified to accommodate the needs of feminised ‘groups’ of workers because this may lead employers to discriminate against women.

The Attorney-General’s discussion paper presents a partial picture of the extent of the problem of wage theft. It recurs to the ‘bad apple’ view of non-compliance among ‘a small number of employers’, which treats wage theft as aberrant and non-systemic. This view ignores available research: as the data in this document indicates, wage theft is endemic to the point of contributing to the national problem of chronic low wage growth (McKenzie, 2018).

NFAW has responded to the Attorney-General’s discussion paper, making a range of recommendations to address wage theft. Wage theft is not gender neutral. It most commonly and significantly affects low paid and casual workers, the majority of whom are women.

The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW), a non-politically aligned feminist organisation, in conjunction with experts from a range of women’s organisations, has prepared this submission to the Productivity Commission’s (the Commission) inquiry into the workplace relations framework.

This submission is also endorsed by the Equality Rights Alliance, the South Australian Working Women’s Centre, BPW Australia, the Women’s Electoral Lobby, and the Work + Family Policy Roundtable.

The Commission’s draft report argues that ‘a sound workplace relations system must give primacy to the wellbeing of employees (and would-be employees), and take account of community norms about the fair treatment of people

NFAW recognises and respects the improvements to child care standards and fee relief systems which the current Commonwealth Government has brought about, including through important cooperation with the States and Territories. The NFAW notes that means of achieving greater time-flexibility and simplicity in funding arrangements are under consideration, but no announcements have been made as yet.

The NFAW and WomenSpeak/ERA, with valuable input from Professor Patricia Apps, independently held meetings to discuss the Henry Report at the University of Sydney through the Women and Work Research group, and at the University of Melbourne (Taxation Studies, Law School)

The National Women’s Alliance1 has called on Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments to reduce the systemic barriers to women with family responsibilities who wish to enter or return to the workforce.

The consultation on the Australia Institute (TAI) report The Impact of the Recession on Women1 was facilitated in Broken Hill, New South Wales, on 29 September 2009, by Darriea Turley, Chair of the National Rural Women’s Coalition2 , The Broken Hill Enterprise Development Centre3 (BHEDC), Women on Boards4 , and the National Foundation for Australian Women5 (NFAW).

The NFAW and its affiliates were instrumental in building a broad coalition of business, nongovernment, industry and representative associations of women across all sectors (the Coalition of Working Women) to lobby Government to withdraw its exposure draft of a legislative instrument that would remove a range of key items from a list of matters that relevant employers are required to report on annually under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (the WGE Act)

This submission has been prepared by the Coalition for Working Women (CWW) to outline the position of its members in relation to consultation about the gender reporting requirements outlined in the Gender Equality (Matters in Relation to Gender Equality Indicators) Instrument 2013 (No. 1).

The origins of the NFAW role lay in the process of national consultations with women and their organisations during 2006 and 2007 on the impacts on their working lives of the former Government’s changes to the industrial relations system (WorkChoices). In consequence early NFAW discussions about a national system of paid maternity or paternity leave were framed around industrial relations policy.

NPEC was formed in 1988 to address the issue of unequal earnings for men and women in Australia, over the working week, over the years of workforce participation, and over a lifetime. Its activities include publicity, education, lobbying of governments, State and Federal, and regular representations to industrial tribunals and government inquiries on all issues relating to women’s earnings and workforce participation.