Hon. Natalie Hutchins, Victoria's Minister for Women,  Prevention of Family Violence, Industrial Relations, and Aboriginal Affairs stopped by our Branch Council meeting this week to announce a range of initiatives that will be pursued for the government workforce if the Andrews Government is re-elected to address the gender pay gap. 

The State Government completed an audit and released data in February showing the gap in the Victorian Public Sector was 12 per cent in 2016/17.  This means that women earn on average $10,197 less than their male counterparts with a median base salary of $76,487 for females and $86,684 for males.

We want to help close that gap for our members. We believe that this can be achieved via a range of actions including educating members about their rights in relation to pay progression, requesting reclassification and flexible work; offering training around parental leave, return to work & flexibility for parents and carers; and advocating for clauses in the next VPS Agreement that will help close the gap.

The New Zealand Government’s Gender Pay Principles provide a good basis for the sorts of principles we would like to see in Victoria and in our agreements.