Next steps to ensuring fair pay and conditions for working women

The Albanese Government is supporting an historic review of the undervaluation of wages in feminised industries, in the next step towards reducing the gender pay gap. 

The Government has provided an initial submission to the Fair Work Commission’s gender undervaluation priority awards review.

Workers shouldn’t be valued less because they are women or because they work with women.

Making gender equality an object of the Fair Work Act and strengthening the ability of the Fair Work Commission to order pay rises for underpaid women workers was an election commitment of the Albanese Government.

And now the Government’s gender equality reforms are empowering the Commission to undertake an historic review to properly value feminised work.

The review will look into gender undervaluation in five priority awards, which includes early childhood educators, in-home disability workers, and health professionals.

Our commitment to addressing gender undervaluation builds on previous commitments to our vital care and community sector. We have previously committed to support wages increases, including $11.3 billion for aged care workers and $3.6 billion over two years for early childhood educators.

The Government’s full submission is available here.

The Government notes as part of its review, the commission will also consider broader economic impacts, including on employment growth, inflation and the sustainability, performance and competitiveness of the national economy.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher:  
“We know that when an economy works for women, it works for all Australians. The Albanese Government is supporting women to earn more and keep more of what they earn – we want to properly value women’s work and accelerate progress to close the gender pay gap, now at a record low of 11.5%.

“Closing the gender pay gap and supporting workers to receive fair pay is important for women, families, and the community.

“Although the gender pay gap is reaching historic lows, there is still work to do. That’s why we have made this submission to the Fair Work Commission, to support this important process to address historic gender undervaluation in modern awards.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Murray Watt: 
“Our Government has put gender equality at the centre of the workplace relations system, to properly value feminised work.

“Our workplace law reforms are giving women workers more power to achieve fairer wages and this case will assist women’s work to be properly valued. 

“Our reforms mean the Fair Work Commission must take into account eliminating gender-based undervaluation of work, and addressing gender pay gaps, when it is making decisions.”