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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-07-21 Daily Xml
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MATTERS OF INTEREST

PAY EQUITY

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:28): I rise to commend the Australian Services Union for its work on pay equity. The Minister for the Status of Women (Hon. Gail Gago) was pleased to accept a petition from the Australian Services Union just recently. As honourable members might be aware, the Australian Services Union used this year's Equal Pay Day to hold a rally and a march, which ended up on the steps of Parliament House. It was heartening to see so many supporters at that rally.

Pay equity is an important issue. Despite improvements to gender pay equity, I believe that the average gender pay gap is still around 17 per cent. Improving pay equity is critical not only to redress gender inequity and secure economic independence for women but also to improve Australian productivity and economic performance.

On 23 November last year, the report 'Making it fair: pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce' was released. The report is the outcome of a year and a half inquiry conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment and Workplace Relations. I note that this is just one area that the federal Labor government has made a priority. We have also seen great progress in areas like parental leave, a far cry from the Howard government, which clearly thought that pay equity and parental leave were just too hard; better instead to just chip away at the rights of workers.

Some further detail on this issue is interesting. On 4 November 2009 the then federal minister for employment and workplace relations announced that the government had reached an historic agreement with the Australian Services Union, representing social and community service workers, to support a test case on pay equity for community service workers under the new fair work system. It was proposed that, under this new system, workers in these sectors across Australia would become covered by a single modern award rather than the multitude of state and federal awards that currently apply, and that under the Fair Work Act 2009 and through the office of Fair Work Australia orders would be sought that they provide pay equity.

The importance of this case goes beyond equity and fairness. As ASU Assistant National Secretary, Linda White, noted on the announcement of the agreement between the ASU and the federal government, it would also 'support retention of staff and address a chronic skills shortage in the sector', and pay equity in this section of the economic community would be 'at the forefront of delivering social inclusion to our country'.

I point out that the community sector is a key part of the Australian economy and that 85 per cent of employees in the sector are women. The work of the sector and its social and economic importance to our community is often unrecognised. The ASU is currently awaiting the outcome of the equal pay case with respect to community sector workers, which I understand is the first national equal pay case under the Fair Work Act. I am sure that everyone in the council is eagerly awaiting the outcome of this case.

In closing, I again commend the ASU for its commitment to pay equity and ask this council to note both its consistent dedication to this issue and the petition that was given to the Minister for the Status of Women.

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