Pay equity coalition welcomes new Equal Pay Bill

Pay Equity Challenge Media Release, 22 June 2011

The Pay Equity Challenge, a coalition of business and community groups and unions, is welcoming Catherine Delahunty’s new Equal Pay Bill as an effective  way of dealing to the wage gap between men’s and women’s pay.

“This bill modernises our approach to equal pay, and will help to give women the information they need to ensure that they are being paid fairly,” said coalition spokesperson Rebecca Matthews.

“Our Equal Pay legislation is 40 years old, and was written for that time. Times have changed.  We need to break down the culture of secrecy that has developed around pay which means that most women and their unions find it difficult to access information and address unfairness in pay.”

Matthews welcomed Catherine Delahunty’s leadership on the 12.75% gender pay gap, particularly in light of the government’s lack of action on  pay equity.

“Catherine has drafted a bill that all political parties can support. It modernises equal pay legislation, and gives employees transparency and information about how men and women are paid,” said Matthews.

The Coalition intends to talk to all political parties about the need for a political solution to the ongoing disparity between men and women’s pay, and the need for greater accountability for employers to demonstrate  that they are meeting reasonable  obligations to pay fairly.

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