We haven’t heard much from the Prime Minister on the topic of women’s issues lately so it was good to hear he is very supportive of the new Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation according to Senator Michaelia Cash, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women.
Launching the award in Sydney yesterday, Senator Cash said change around gender equality would only ever happen when it was driven by employers, and provided some insight on the federal government’s view on current efforts to address the issue.
“This Government does not believe in legislated quotas and you will not see that from us,” she told around 50 business representatives. “We will support you in every effort you make to reach the targets you set yourselves.”
The Business Council of Australia’s recently released diversity framework and target of 50% women in management in ten years was an outstanding goal, she added, and now they need to achieve that.
“It’s fantastic they have said ‘we recognise there’s an issue and we want to address it and here’s the target’…we will all be watching the BCA to see what they do.”
Business understood it was on the cusp of something big, and while the BCA goal was ambitious, Senator Cash said she would rather work with someone who has an ambitious target. It was up to government and business to support bodies like the BCA.
She also commended the collaboration by the Male Champions of Change (MCC), a group of 21 CEOs established by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.
Moves by the MCC such as encouraging suppliers who have better gender balance send a powerful message and help in mainstreaming gender equality in the way business operates, she said.
The work of WGEA, under director Helen Conway, was another important asset for business too and showed the “tools are there if you want to achieve the target.”
But the lower level of women’s workforce participation will be best addressed by looking at childcare, with poor access and affordability acting as a huge disincentive to women, she said. The government’s proposed Paid Parental Leave scheme also sent the message that women’s work was valued.
About 125 organisations are currently employers of choice, and applications for the new citation will be open between 1 April and 31 July next year, with the first Employers of Choice for Gender Equality to be announced in November 2014.
The data collected by WGEA from employers under the new Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 will provide standardised data on best practice for gender equality for the first time, Helen Conway said. The agency was working with collaboratively with employers to establish benchmarks which has nothing to do with compliance, she added.
“It gives back to organisations a personalised benchmark report and shows where they need to pay attention. It’s a really exciting way to move the needle – we haven’t moved it enough in the past,” she said. “It’s a brave new world, as we say. Our citation is critical to the process and has driven change and a road map for best practice.”