The federal government has introduced a Bill that will force companies to publicly disclose the difference between male and female workers’ earnings.

The Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 requires companies with 100 or more employees to disclose how much they are paying their workers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took to Twitter to announce the introduction of the Bill into parliament, saying: “Women should be paid the same as men. It’s as simple as that.”

Reporting will begin in 2024, using data already provided by employers. Companies’ gender pay gaps are to be published on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency website, for all to see.

Currently, the average Australian woman has to work an extra 61 days a year to earn the same pay as the average Australian man. The gender pay gap currently sits at 14.1 per cent, with women on average earning $263.90 per week less than men.

The ACTU said that Australia has had a poor record in closing the gender gap compared to other countries.

“For too long, individual companies with significant gender pay gaps have been able to evade scrutiny and avoid having to address problems within their workplaces, which has led to women workers being undervalued,” it said.

“That is why this legislation to provide greater transparency is so important.”

‘Women should be paid the same as men. It’s as simple as that.’

– Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.