Consultation launch
The Australian Government announced in the Women’s Budget Statement 2021–22 a targeted review (the WGEA Review) of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. On Wednesday 20 October 2021, the Minister for Women published a media release to announce the WGEA Review consultation was public on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) website. Also on 20 October the PM&C WGEA Review Team put the WGEA Review Consultation Paper on the PM&C website and circulated it on social media. The PM&C WGEA Review Team also sent emails to key stakeholders to inform them of the consultation.
Overview of the consultation approach
Virtual roundtables
A range of stakeholders were convened across five virtual roundtables held between 15-29 November 2021. These roundtables were with a variety of organisations and targeted representatives from the business and not-for-profit sectors, employee organisations, higher education providers, the women’s sector, users of the WGEA data and other interested parties (see full list in subsequent pages).
Virtual Australian Government and State and Territory Government roundtables
Australian Government officials were convened for a virtual roundtable, as were State and Territory Government officials. Relevant Australian Government departments and agencies engaged included the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), Treasury, Department of Finance, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Taxation Office, and the Australian Public Service Commission among others (see full list in subsequent pages).
Virtual data roundtable
Government and private sector data experts were convened for a virtual data roundtable.
Written submissions
Stakeholders were invited to respond to the consultation paper which was released on 20 October 2021. The consultation paper invited written responses for 10 questions (extracted in Appendix 2). Submissions were due on 24 November 2021 and 155 submissions were received.
Desktop literature review
The PM&C WGEA Review Team conducted a desktop literature review (see ‘Key Resources’ in Appendix 5).
PM&C WGEA Review Team meetings
In addition to participating in all eight virtual roundtables, the WGEA Review Team held a range of other meetings to gather input. They had meetings with WGEA, Australian Government officials, state and territory officials, Digital Service Providers and other stakeholders. The PM&C WGEA Review Team also met with the Global Institute of Women and Leadership (both Kings College London and the Australian National University) about their recent comparative reports on gender pay gap reporting in different countries.
ThinkPlace consulting firm assistance: Gender equality and data expertise
The PM&C WGEA Review Team contracted ThinkPlace to facilitate the consultation process and provide advice on the WGEA Review. In addition to providing advice, ThinkPlace facilitated the above eight virtual roundtables.
Expert Advisers
Two Expert Advisers assisted the review, Pip Marlow, CEO Salesforce, and Kerri Hartland, Principal Advisor, Proximity (and former secretary for the department that had portfolio responsibility for WGEA). The Expert Advisers provided strategic guidance drawing on their fields of expertise. They provided different perspectives on engaging with WGEA as a large and smaller employer respectively.
Part A: Roundtables
Eight virtual roundtables were held between 15–29 November 2021. Five of these roundtables were with a variety of organisations, one was with state and territory officials, one with Australian Government officials, and the final one was a data-focused roundtable.
These roundtables were split into three sessions:
- How effective is the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012?
- What works in your organisation to progress gender equality?
- What changes do we need to the Act to realise a significant change in gender equality in the next 10 years?
These sessions required individual reflection against the sub-questions on a digital whiteboard and discussion at the end of each session. Some participants had technical issues with the IT and so some of those listed below did not participate in a full session.
Roundtable participants:
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Roundtable 1 – Monday 15 November, 2021 | |
| Gemma Lloyd | Co-CEO and Founder, WORK180 |
| Robyn Nolan | President, National Council of Women Australia (NCWA) |
| Tamsin Lawrence | Deputy Director Workplace Relations, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) |
| Denita Wawn | CEO, Master Builders Australia (MBA) |
| Sarah Buckley | CEO, Women’s Leadership Institute Australia (WLIA) |
| Susan Metcalf | CEO, Chief Executive Women (CEW) |
| Ella Melican | Policy Adviser, Women in Super |
| Dr Leonora Risse | Co-Founder and National Chair, Women in Economics Network (Senior Lecturer in Economics, RMIT University) |
| Marian Vidal-Fernandez | NSW Committee Member, Women in Economics Network (Associate Professor, University of Sydney) |
| Sally Moyle | Vice President, National Foundation of Australian Women (NFAW) |
| Roundtable 2 – Tuesday 16 November, 2021 | |
| Alana Bastin-Byrne | Co-Founder, Femeconomy |
| Alexandra Hordern | Advocacy Director, Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) |
| Cameron Dyson-Smith | Assistant Director of Advocacy, ASBFEO |
| Jade Collins | Co-Founder, Femeconomy |
| Jessica Gallagher | Organisational Development and Workforce Diversity Manager, University of Western Australia |
| Karolina Szukalska | Manager, Education, Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) |
| Nicola Street | National Manager – Workplace Relations Policy, Ai Group |
| Philippa Hall | WEL Executive Committee Member, Women’s Electoral Lobby Australia |
| Shelley Cable | CEO, Generation One, Minderoo |
| Val Madsen | Executive General Manager, People, St Barbara Ltd |
| Victoria Weekes | Non-Executive Director & Audit & Risk Chair, Australian Gender Equality Council |
| Roundtable 3 – Wednesday 17 November, 2021 | |
| Renee Hamilton | CEO, National Women’s Safety Alliance (NWSA) |
| Jane Madden | President, National Foundation of Australian Women (NFAW) |
| Carol Kulik | Research Professor of Human Resource Management, University of South Australia |
| Catherine Fox | Author |
| Libby Lyons | Chair, Aged Care Workforce Industry Council; Director of WGEA (2015-2021) |
| Marian Baird | Professor of Gender and Employment Relations, Head of Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies, University of Sydney |
| Sarah Kerr | Head of Inclusion, Sustainability & Engagement, Medibank |
| Stephanie Reuss | Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Beam Australian Operations Pty Ltd |
| Victoria Stuart | Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Beam Australian Operations Pty Ltd |
| Theresa Kellett | Senior Project Officer, Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) |
| Vanamali Hermans | Policy and Project Officer, Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) |
| Amelia Bitsis | Director Social Impact and Indigenous Engagement, Business Council of Australia (BCA) |
| Helen Dalley-Fisher | Manager, Equality Rights Alliance (ERA) |
| Kim Rubenstein | Co-Director, 50/50 by 2030 Foundation |
| Amy Love | Senior Inclusion Manager, RMIT University |
| Stephanie Flechas | NSW Committee Secretary, Women in Economics Network |
| Chris Wallace | Associate Professor, 50/50 by 2030 Foundation |
| Coral Ross | Founding Director and Board Chair, Australian Gender Equality Council |
| Roundtable 4 – Monday 22 November, 2021 | |
| Annika Freyer | CEO, Champions of Change Coalition (CCC) |
| Castaly Haddon | Stakeholder and Policy Manager, Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) |
| Claire Braund | Executive Director, Women on Boards |
| Jennifer Lanahan | Manager, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Sparke Helmore Lawyers |
| Louise Weine | CEO, National Association of Women in Operations (NAWO), Board Member, Australian Gender Equality Council |
| Pip Marlow | CEO, Salesforce and WGEA Review Expert Adviser |
| Rachael Phillips | Diversity and Inclusion Partner, Woolworths |
| Sandra Creamer | CEO, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Women’s Alliance (NATSIWA) |
| Sara Charlesworth | Professor of Work, Gender & Regulation, RMIT University |
| Terry Fitzsimmons | Board Member and Managing Director, Australian Gender Equality Council, Senior Lecturer in Leadership, University of Queensland |
| Roundtable 5 – Tuesday 23 November, 2021 | |
| Sophie Ismail | Legal and Industrial Officer - Gender Equity, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) |
| Alex Kershaw | Policy Lawyer, Law Council of Australia (LCA) |
| Bianca Hartge-Hazelman | CEO, Financy |
| Cathy Brown | Director, Policy & Projects, Diversity Council Australia (DCA) |
| Heidi La Paglia | Director of Policy and Programs, Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) |
| Jennifer Cameron | Adviser, Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) |
| Kate Jenkins | Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) |
| Katie Biddlestone | National Industrial Officer, National Women’s Officer, Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees' Association (SDA) |
| Leonie Campbell | Deputy Director of Policy, Law Council of Australia (LCA) |
| Lisa Annese | CEO, Diversity Council Australia (DCA) |
| Natasha Molt | Law Council of Australia (LCA) |
| Nicola Street | National Manager – Workplace Relations Policy, Ai Group |
| Dr Sarah Pritchard SC | Chair, Law Council of Australia (LCA) |
| Simone Clarke | CEO, UN Women Australia (UNWA) |
| Troy Roderick | Director, Strategic Initiatives and Insights, and Program Director STEM, Champions of Change Coalition (CCC) |
| Wafa El-Adhami | CEO, Science in Australia Gender Equity Ltd (SAGE) |
| Roundtable 6 (Australian Government) – Wednesday 24 November, 2021 | |
| Angela Wojtaszak | Assistant Director, Grants Policy, Department of Finance |
| Bjorn Jarvis | Program Manager, Labour Statistics Branch, Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) |
| Rhiannon Box | Manager, Secretariat and Corporate Governance, Department of Social Services (DSS) |
| Carol Treneski | Director, Procurement Policy, Department of Finance |
| Deborah Fulton | Assistant Secretary, National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) |
| Simon Gotzinger | Senior Executive Lawyer, Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) |
| Jennifer Kay | Assistant Secretary, Business Grants Hub, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) |
| Jody Anderson | First Assistant Secretary, Safety and Industry Policy Division, Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) |
| Julia Neville | Assistant Commissioner, Policy, Analysis and Legislation, Australian Tax Office (ATO) |
| Lace Wang | Assistant Secretary, Employment Conditions Division, Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) |
| Elizabeth Minogue | Senior Adviser, Regulatory Policy, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) |
| Katrina Purcell | Assistant Commissioner, Inclusion, Australian Public Service Commissioner (APSC) |
| Catherine Seaberg | Assistant Commissioner, Inclusion, Australian Public Service Commissioner (APSC) |
| Sandra Roussel | Assistant Secretary, Regulatory Policy, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) |
| Sarah Goulding | Assistant Secretary, Gender Equality Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) |
| Shanan Gillies | Assistant Secretary, Science Policy and Governance, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) |
| Rebecca Cassells | Assistant Secretary, Macroeconomic Group, Department of the Treasury |
| Tanya Spisbah | Director, Office for Women, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Roundtable 7 (States and Territories) – Thursday 25 November, 2021 | |
| Caroline Jeppesen | ACT Government – Office for Women |
| Tina Dixson | ACT Government– Office of LGBTIQ+ Affairs |
| Caroline Tuthill | Government of Western Australia– Department of Communities |
| Sarah Charbonneau | Government of Western Australia– Department of the Premier and Cabinet |
| Helen Philippidis | Government of Western Australia – Department of the Premier and Cabinet |
| Karen Webb | Government of Western Australia – Department of Communities |
| Amanda Underwood | Government of South Australia – Office for Women |
| Fiona Buchanan | Government of South Australia – DFFH |
| Sanjugta Vas Dev | Government of South Australia – Office for Women |
| Jo Pride | Victorian Government – Department of Families, Fairness and Housing |
| Kate Berry | Victorian Government – Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector |
| Sarah Tuberville | Victorian Government – Department of the Premier and Cabinet |
| Julie Dwyer | NSW Government – FACS |
| Tanya Smyth | NSW Government – Women NSW/Carers NSW |
| Lucy Hartas | NSW Government – Department of Premier and Cabinet |
| Patricia Rooney | QLD Government – Office of Fair and Safe Work |
| Kylie Stephen | QLD Government – Office for Women and Violence Prevention |
| Lisa Meagher | QLD Government – Department of Premier and Cabinet |
| Sarah Burchett | NT Government – Gender Equity and Diversity |
| Tamara Biro | NT Government – Intergovernmental Relations |
| Chantelle Stratford | Assistant Secretary, Office for Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Kerri Hartland | Principal Adviser, Proximity and WGEA Review Expert Adviser |
| Roundtable 8 (Data Workshop) – Monday 29 November, 2021 | |
| Bjorn Jarvis | Program Manager, Labour Statistics Branch, Australia Bureau of Statistics |
| Lace Wang | Assistant Secretary, Employment Conditions Division, Attorney-General’s Department |
| Bridie Costigan | Pay Equity and Participation, Attorney-General’s Department |
| Michael Radzevicius | Pay Equity and Participation, Attorney-General’s Department |
| Laura Munsie | Usability Section, Attorney-General’s Department |
| Vanessa Barone | Workforce Metrics, Strategic Policy and Research Group, Australian Public Service Commission |
| Bek Symonds | Assistant Director Workforce Metrics, Strategic Policy and Research Group, Australian Public Service Commission |
| Ian Colhoun | Director, Single Touch Payroll and Economic Stimulus Program, Australian Taxation Office |
| Travis Wright | Single Touch Payroll and Economic Stimulus Program, Australian Taxation Office |
| Michael Kerr Brown | Australian Tax Office |
| Casey Mills | Workforce Participation, Department of Education, Skills and Employment |
| Thea McKenzie | Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources |
| Zara Shroff | Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources |
| Suchi Misra | Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources |
| Deborah Fulton | Employment Branch Manager, Economic Policy and Programs Group, National Indigenous Australians Agency |
| Tanya Spisbah | Director, Data, Research and Analysis, Office for Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Evelyn Andrew | Data, Research and Analysis, Office for Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| David Hansell | Data, Research and Analysis, Office for Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Chantelle Stratford | Assistant Secretary, Office for Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Krishna Kenche | Office of Best Practice Regulation, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Andrew Lalor | Assistant Secretary, Data and Digital, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Bernard Fischer | Digital Technology Taskforce, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Orlando Parish | Salesforce |
| Timothy Louie | Salesforce |
| Jean Gabriel | Salesforce |
| Elzina Hodzic | Salesforce |
| Abi Kuttner | Treasury |
| Ella Gillespie | Treasury |
| Janin Bredehoeft | Workplace Gender Equality Agency |
| Mary Wooldridge | Workplace Gender Equality Agency |
Other attendees and facilitators:
The PM&C WGEA Review Team attended all eight roundtables. Other Australian Government officials observed various roundtables including officials from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, the Office for Women, and the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Catherine Hawkins | Head of the WGEA Review Team, PM&C |
| Prudence Mooney | WGEA Review Team, PM&C |
| Freya Jansens | WGEA Review Team, PM&C |
Facilitators
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Dr Nina Terrey | Chief for Gender Equality, ThinkPlace |
| Tessa Laven | ThinkPlace |
| Thomas Grimshaw | ThinkPlace |
| Skylen Dall | ThinkPlace |
Part B: Written submissions
Consultation paper
As noted earlier, the WGEA Review Consultation Paper was released on 20 October 2021. It invited written responses for 10 questions.
Submissions were due on 24 November 2021 and 155 submissions were received in total.
Submissions received
The list of written submissions below is in line with the express privacy consent provided at the time of making a submission. People were given the option of having their submission published with their name, published without their name (anonymous), or not published (shown in the list below as ‘don’t publish’).
Written submissions received:
< /table>
| Sub # | Name (if disclosed) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bronwyn Bell |
| 2 | Australia Taxpayer’s Alliance |
| 3 | Anonymous |
| 4 | Don’t publish |
| 5 | Cloe Sophia |
| 6 | Don’t publish |
| 7 | Anonymous |
| 8 | Andrew Dunlop |
| 9 | Associate Professor Becky Batagol (Monash University) |
| 10 | Flagships AU |
| 11 | Anonymous |
| 12 | Dae Bailey |
| 13 | Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) |
| 14 | Robbie Lloyd |
| 15 | Industry Professor Nareen Young (Jumbunna Institute, UTS) and Associate Professor Dimitria Groutsis (University of Sydney Business School) |
| 16 | Anonymous |
| 17 | Anonymous |
| 18 | Femeconomy |
| 19 | Samson Naylor |
| 20 | Jodie Miller |
| 21 | Don’t publish |
| 22 | Anonymous |
| 23 | Rainbow Families |
| 24 | University of Technology Sydney |
| 25 | Anonymous |
| 26 | Osmond Chiu |
| 27 | Anonymous |
| 28 | Gregory Davies |
| 29 | Australian Federation of Business & Professional Women (BPW Australia) |
| 30 | Alice Delaney |
| 31 | Anonymous |
| 32 | Anonymous |
| 33 | Nadine James |
| 34 | Anonymous |
| 35 | Anonymous |
| 36 | Don’t publish |
| 37 | Kirsten Walpole Sinnamon |
| 38 | Australian Local Government Women's Association |
| 39 | Casceilia Morrissey |
| 40 | Anonymous |
| 41 | Dianne Pittaway |
| 42 | Don’t publish |
| 43 | Don’t publish |
| 44 | Soroptimist International of Brisbane Inc |
| 45 | Breastfeeding Advocacy Australia |
| 46 | Australian Greens |
| 47 | Chief Executive Women |
| 48 | National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) |
| 49 | Dr Ramona Vijeyarasa (University of Technology Sydney) |
| 50 | Australian Centre for Leadership for Women |
| 51 | Melior Investment Management |
| 52 | Industry Super Australia |
| 53 | Kathy Bond |
| 54 | Don’t publish |
| 55 | Clare Henderson |
| 56 | Anonymous |
| 57 | Sy Densley |
| 58 | Own Your Health Collective |
| 59 | Australian National University (ANU) Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) (ANU GIWL) |
| 60 | Australian Gender Equality Council |
| 61 | Forcibly Displaced People Network |
| 62 | University of Technology Sydney |
| 63 | Women's Electoral Lobby Australia |
| 64 | Australian Federation of Medical Women |
| 65 | Anonymous |
| 66 | Dalane Drexler |
| 67 | Adamantem Capital and Legend Corporation |
| 68 | Don’t publish |
| 69 | ACON |
| 70 | Diversity Council of Australia (DCA) |
| 71 | Australian Higher Education Industrial Association (AHEIA) |
| 72 | Women on Boards (WOB Australia) |
| 73 | Don’t publish |
| 74 | Alexandra Heron |
| 75 | Women’s Services Network (WESNET)/Australian Women Against Violence Alliance (AWAVA) |
| 76 | Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) |
| 77 | Voices of Influence Australia |
| 78 | HESTA |
| 79 | Anonymous |
| 80 | Australia Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) |
| 81 | Women of Colour Australia |
| 82 | Women in Super |
| 83 | Carers Australia |
| 84 | Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) |
| 85 | Law Council of Australia |
| 86 | Electrical Trades Union Australia (ETU) |
| 87 | Anonymous |
| 88 | Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner (Victoria) |
| 89 | South Australian Premier's Council for Women |
| 90 | Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) |
| 91 | YWCA Canberra |
| 92 | Women in Gaming and Hospitality Australasia |
| 93 | Western Sydney University |
| 94 | Australian Breastfeeding Association |
| 95 | Australia’s eSafety Commissioner |
| 96 | National Rural Women's Coalition |
| 97 | Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) |
| 98 | Settlement Services International |
| 99 | Queensland Law Society |
| 100 | Shop Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) |
| 101 | Anonymous |
| 102 | Australian Financial Markets Association (AFMA) |
| 103 | Cultural Infusion |
| 104 | Future Super Group |
| 105 | Australian Council of Superannuation Investors |
| 106 | Per Capita |
| 107 | The Australian Work + Family Policy Roundtable (W+FPR) |
| 108 | Law Firms Australia |
| 109 | Gender Equity Victoria |
| 110 | RMIT University |
| 111 | Women Barristers Association (Victoria) |
| 112 | 50/50 by 2030 Foundation (University of Canberra) |
| 113 | Safe and Equal |
| 114 | Life Course Centre |
| 115 | Professor Marian Baird, Professor Rae Cooper and Dr Meraiah Foley (Women and Work Research Group, University of Sydney) |
| 116 | Minderoo Foundation |
| 117 | Victorian Trades Hall Council |
| 118 | Anonymous |
| 119 | Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Limited |
| 120 | Carers NSW |
| 121 | Don’t publish |
| 122 | Australian Lawyers for Human Rights |
| 123 | Anonymous |
| 124 | Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre |
| 125 | Dr Leonora Risse |
| 126 | Australian Discrimination Law Experts Group |
| 127 | Australian Retailers Association |
| 128 | Don’t publish |
| 129 | Australian Resources and Energy Group |
| 130 | Equality Rights Alliance (ERA) |
| 131 | Don’t publish |
| 132 | Anonymous |
| 133 | Professor Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor Emeritus Glenda Strachan, and Professor Paula Brough (Griffith University) |
| 134 | Anonymous |
| 135 | KPMG |
| 136 | Anonymous |
| 137 | Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) |
| 138 | Harmony Alliance |
| 139 | AbbVie Pty Ltd |
| 140 | Women Lawyers' Association of NSW |
| 141 | Bryn Dickson |
| 142 | Don’t publish |
| 143 | Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) |
| 144 | Don’t publish |
| 145 | Our Watch |
| 146 | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) |
| 147 | National Women’s Safety Alliance |
| 148 | Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) |
| 149 | Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) |
| 150 | Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) |
| 151 | Don’t publish |
| 152 | Australian Government Attorney-General's Department |
| 153 | Don’t publish |
| 154 | Government of Western Australia Department of Communities |
| 155 | Business Council of Australia (BCA) |