All New Policy Proposals (NPPs) that meet one or more of the five criteria below require a Gender Impact Assessment. The five criteria can be considered by policy makers in any order. Each department is responsible for self-assessing if a Gender Impact Assessment is required. The criteria applies to revenue, savings and expenditure proposals.

1. Gender Equality: The proposal has a significant positive or negative impact on gender equality

To understand whether the proposal has a significant positive or negative impact on gender equality, consider if it significantly increases or limits:

• access to resources for one gender compared with others (through income, payments, taxation, superannuation), and/or
• access to opportunities for one gender compared with others (including education, training, work, health programs, leadership, public office).  

The proposal would likely have a significant impact on gender equality if it relates to:

• family and domestic violence and wellbeing, including online safety, and/or
• unpaid care or household work, and/or
• attitudes or stereotypes about gender, and/or
• addressing gender discrimination or advancing gender equality.

Everyone has the right to live free from gender-based discrimination and be treated with respect. Policy makers have an obligation to ensure policies and programs are not discriminatory, while recognising the unique challenges that people may face across different stages of life based on their gender.

Some proposals may appear to have neutral gender impacts. Agencies must consider whether a proposal has concealed impacts on gender that can inadvertently worsen outcomes for gender equality.

2. Cohorts: The proposal targets cohorts of people who can be typically disadvantaged

The cohorts criteria captures proposals that impact or interact with a cohort (or cohorts) of people on the basis that they may have specific needs or experience discrimination, marginalisation, vulnerability and/or disadvantage, and need targeted programs or support. These overlapping characteristics or circumstances often compound the level of gender inequality a person experiences.

Understanding how the intersections between a person’s multiple characteristics and circumstances impact their life course is critical for achieving gender equality.

These cohorts, depending on the nature of the proposal, may include but are not limited to:

• First Nations peoples and communities;
• People who are culturally and/or racially diverse; and/or
• People who are visa holders, or new residents/citizens; and/or
• Young people; and/or
• Older people; and/or
• People living with disability; and/or
• People who identify as LGBTQIA+; and/or
• People living in regional or remote areas; and/or
• People who experience socio-economic disadvantage.

Impacts on a cohort may include changes in access to programs and services, education and training or employment opportunities. People from these cohorts may face compounding inequalities where inequalities intersect with gender.

3. Workforce: The proposal relates to a gender segregated industry

The workforce criteria applies where a proposal impacts or interacts with a gender segregated industry (or industries).

An industry is gender segregated where one gender comprises 60 per cent or more of the workforce. This definition is employed by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

Australian industries are generally classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC).

The features of an industry include, but are not limited to:

• Paid work such as full-time, part-time and casual employees, apprenticeships and traineeships;
• Unpaid work such as volunteering, internships and work experience placements;
• Pathways to employment including education and training; and
• Government actors, companies, organisations, industry bodies, education and training organisations.

Impacts to an industry may include a policy, funding, legislation, program or service which affects changes to wages, types of work, programs and services, education, training, qualifications, standards, or number of employment opportunities.

4. Partnership: The proposal establishes a National Partnership Agreement (or like agreement)

The partnership criteria covers proposals that establish a Federation Funding Agreement, National Agreement, Intergovernmental Agreement or like agreement.

This includes proposals that agree to establish a negotiating mandate to enter into an agreement in the future, and bespoke funding arrangement with governments.

The criteria does not apply to grants or procurement.

5. Value: The total value of the proposal is $250 million or more over the forward estimates

The value criteria includes expenditure, savings, revenue, and balance sheet proposals with financial impacts of $250 million or more over the forward estimates or the duration of the proposal.

The $250 million threshold applies to proposals regardless of whether the proposal has been offset; it does not have an impact on underlying cash; it is a balance sheet proposal; its net impact on underlying cash is less than $250 million taking into savings or efficiencies brought forward in the same proposal. If the funding being sought by a proposal is equal to or greater than $250 million, a gender impact assessment is required.

If the financial implications of the proposal are concentrated beyond the forward estimates, and the proposal has an impact of over $250 million, a Gender Impact Assessment should also be considered to ensure decision makers are fully informed about the gender equality impacts.

For example, this includes where there are material changes in costs beyond the forward estimates, or the policy commences later in, or beyond, the forward estimates.

Where there are alternative cost options, the value criteria applies if one of the options meets the value threshold.