Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Government Services
Gender pay gaps of Commonwealth public sector employers have been published for the first time by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
The Commonwealth Public Sector Gender Equality Scorecard: Key Employer Results from 2023 shows that Commonwealth public sector employers have an average total remuneration gap of 6.4 per cent, compared to 21.1 per cent in the private sector (excluding CEOs and Heads of Business).
Publishing Commonwealth public sector pay gaps brings the public sector into line with the private sector and strengthens transparency and accountability on gender pay gap reporting.
The Scorecard notes that flexible work contributes to the high rates of full-time work among women in the public sector (76 per cent) compared to the private sector (just 43 per cent).
The data, capturing the 2023 calendar year, shows positive results across several areas, including:
- Almost half (45 per cent) of Commonwealth public sector employers are within the target range pay gap of ±5 per cent
- Over half (51 per cent) of employers improved their gender pay gap over a 12-month period.
- The Commonwealth public sector has achieved gender balance across its workforce, including at the managerial level.
The Scorecard demonstrates the important role that WGEA data plays in driving transparency and highlighting where further action is needed.
The Scorecard and data for each public sector employer can be found here(link is external) .
Quotes attributable to Minister for Finance and Women, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher
"Our government is determined to continue shifting the dial on closing the gender pay gap, boosting women's economic participation, and ensuring we have safe and supportive workplaces for women.
"I'm pleased to see sustained progress on all these fronts across our public sector agencies, which should be leaders on gender equality at work.
"Whilst there is more work to do, the release of this scorecard and the data contained in it gives us a good baseline to continue to improve upon."
