Reducing gender wage gaps is not an inefficiency but an overall better utilisation of women’s skills, and so an economy-wide productivity gain.
This submission seeks to inform the Economic Reform Roundtable of the gender implications of building economic resilience and the benefits from investing in gender equality. Workplace flexibility is improving but is at risk, and there is more to be done.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
