Yahoo Lifestyle Reporting On Gender Equality "Too Time-Consuming" Says Big Business
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Just a week after new figures showed that top female managers are paid 44 per cent less than their male colleagues, the Abbott government has announced plans to roll back gender reporting in large companies.
Yesterday, it was announced that compulsory reporting on CEO salaries, job applications and approvals for extended parental leave – which help companies monitor disparities between male and female wages - could be dropped.
Senator Eric Abetz, the Minister for Employment , says the requirements are being relaxed because many companies found them "overly complex and time-consuming".
Workplace reporting was introduced by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2012. Currently large companies – with more than 100 employees – must report on the number of female and male employees at various levels of their organisation. The reporting has so far revealed a glaring gender pay gap, currently at an all-time high.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has come out in support of the government's proposal to wind back reporting, arguing that removing excess paperwork and red tape from the gender equity reporting process is a good thing for large companies.
“We will continue to advocate for further improvement so that business are not tied up in paperwork and can instead focus on promoting equality in a way that is appropriate for their own operations,” Kate Carnell, CEO of the ACCI said in a statement.
“Reducing red tape, including through changes to workplace gender equality reporting, is a step in the right direction.”
But Senator Larissa Waters, the Greens’ spokesperson for women, said they were “firmly opposed” to these proposed changes.
“Data on job applications and interviews is especially important at the manager level as it exposes where women are facing the glass ceiling,” Waters said in a statement.
“Without transparency on the gender equality of perks, CEO pay and who is getting interview for promotions or senior roles, discrimination will continue to be hidden.”
Senator Michaelia Cash, the Minister assisting the Prime Minister for Women said that: "Employers with 100 or more employees will continue to report annually to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency every year.
“The Government will remove the most onerous of Labor’s additional requirements that were due to be introduced on 1 April 2015. This includes the requirement to report on separate components of remuneration for each employee. Reporting on job applications and interviews will also be removed. Employers will not need to report on CEO salaries from the 2015-16 reporting period.”
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