The Federal Government has outlined a suite of reforms to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency to improve its effectiveness and relevance, including an additional $11.2 million over 4 years would be provided to give the Agency the powers it needs to drive gender equality in Australian workplaces.

 

Under these reforms, businesses will for the first time, be required to report on the actual figures of gender composition of their organisations and their boards, on their employment conditions, and whether they have flexible work practices for men and women.

 

Where businesses were previously required to establish and report on workplace equity plans, they will now report on tangible outcomes about how women and men are faring in the workplace.

 

Pay equity will be enshrined in the objects of the Act and businesses will be required to report against it. This will allow the Government to see where gender pay gaps are emerging, improving or growing.

 

The Agency will be given robust new powers to ensure that businesses are complying with the legislation. 

There will be regular spot checks to ensure that the information that organisations are providing to the Agency actually matches how they conduct their day to day business.

 

CEOs and employee representatives will be required to sign off on reports. Businesses will also be required to provide these reports to employees and shareholders.

 

The power of the EOWA Director to waive the requirement that a business has to report will be removed.

Minister Ellis said the Government wants to know what is happening in all businesses with more than 100 employees – with no exceptions.

 

Underpinning the new reporting framework is a substantial investment in a new IT system that will save businesses time and money.

Rather than the paper-based system used to date, businesses will now be able to report online using a secure web portal. 

Businesses will also be able to get support and advice on line – linking them to electronic tools, resources and live support.

 

Ms Helen Conway has been appointed as the new Director of Agency, coming to the role with impressive professional and legal credentials and has held senior leadership positions across Corporate Australia. She was most recently the General Manager of the Office of the CEO, Company Secretary and General Counsel for the Caltex Australia Group. 

 

Prior to joining Caltex, Ms Conway was the General Counsel for Airservices Australia and Group Secretary and General Counsel for the NRMA Group. She has also worked as a lawyer in private practice, including seven years as a partner.

 

Ms Conway has also held a number of community-related and government appointments over the years, including the position of Senior Judicial Member of the New South Wales Equal Opportunity Tribunal.

 

She will take up this position on 27 April 2011.

 

The new legislation will be introduced this year, with the first reports under the new system scheduled to start in 2013.

 

For more information on the Australian Government’s reforms to EOWA and its underlying legislation go HERE.