Driving gender equity

Recommendations from the Australian Government’s review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 will drive the change needed to achieve gender equity.

The mining industry stands ready to work with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) to implement the recommendations.

The MCA advocated for streamlined reporting for employers, including utilisation of the data already provided to the government through systems such as Single Touch Payroll.

Improved integration of government data systems will ease the reporting burden for employers and provide all government agencies with better information for policy development.

The decision to publish organisation gender pay gaps will accelerate action to close them.

The mining industry pushed for this change in the hope that an increase in transparent data will drive more decisive action.

This data will also allow companies to partner with each other to achieve this goal.

Given the landmark Respect@Work report, it is appropriate to update the legislative framework with employers existing obligation to report to WGEA on sex-based harassment and discrimination.

The Australian mining industry is committed to inclusion and diversity and providing a workplace where people feel safe to bring their whole selves to work.

WGEA has acknowledged that the mining industry’s systems approach does position it well to lead the way and drive change in terms of gender equality best practice.

The MCA in 2021 launched the Industry of Choice Framework for inclusion and diversity, and released its Respect@Work industry toolkit as the mining industry continues to take action to eliminate workplace sexual harassment.

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