SENATOR JENNY MCALLISTER

CHAIR, FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFERENCES COMMITTEE

SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE ... A PLAN FOR PAY EQUITY

A Senate Committee is calling for a target to close the gender pay gap.

Chair of the Committee Senator Jenny McAllister said “It is time to do more than just measure the gender pay gap. It is time to take action.”

The report, tabled today, recommends setting a target to reach pay equity and providing an advisory structure to guide implementation and measures to address the pay gap.

There has been no real progress on the gender pay gap for 20 years. Evidence from the Office for Women to the inquiry confirmed the government has no strategy to close the gender pay gap.

The Senate inquiry has made 9 recommendations to address the economic impact of gender segregation in the workplace on women, following more than 40 submissions and two public hearings.

“Family responsibilities and other factors mean that women’s career choices are sometimes made for them. The reasons are complex, but the impact is not. Women pay an enormous financial penalty for their traditional modes of participation in the workforce.”

“It’s time for leadership and coordination across government, to urgently deliver tangible, measurable action on pay equity.”

The call for greater focus on women’s economic equality comes on the back of admissions during Estimates that neither the Office for Women nor the Treasury modelled the impact of changes to tax and transfer system in the Budget on women. The Office for Women also did not provide advice on the impact on women of the increase the Medicare levy by 0.5 per cent.

WEDNESDAY, 7 JUNE 2017

MEDIA CONTACT : LYNDAL HOWISON (MCALLISTER) 0404 854 033