We welcome your feedback on the new draft guidance to help duty holders meet their obligations under the Gender Equality Act 2020.
This draft guidance sets out how to develop and submit:
- 2026 Gender equality action plan (GEAP)
- 2026 Progress report
- 2025 Audit
Your feedback will help ensure the guidance is clear, practical, and meets duty holders' needs. It will also help us identify training and support needs.
Below are details on how to view the draft guidance and provide feedback via a survey.
Draft 2026 GEAP guidance & template
Our draft 2026 GEAP guidance and template are now open for your review and feedback.
- Participation: optional, open to all duty holders and other interested stakeholders (consultants, unions, peak bodies).
- Time commitment: about 1 hour to review and complete the survey.
- Deadline: complete the survey by Friday, 28 February.
What you should know
Draft Format
- The draft guidance for this consultation is in a Word document.
- The final version will be published in HTML (in May) for better navigation, alongside a Word option.
- The guidance is lengthy, so the HTML version will be broken into sections to improve usability.
- We have removed the introduction, which explains your obligations under the act and the importance of this work. It has been removed to focus your feedback on the content for developing a GEAP.
- Grey highlighted text in the guidance and templates indicates where hyperlinks will be added in the HTML version. Please ignore these highlights during your review.
- Please note that comments have been intentionally added to the guidance and template to provide extra context and help guide the review process.
New 2026 GEAP template
- We’ve introduced a GEAP template for the next reporting period. Please let us know what you think of it via the survey.
Future Support Materials
- We’re also creating practical how-to guides and resources that align with this GEAP guidance.
- These will be released in May onwards and are not included in this consultation.
How to Provide Feedback
Review the Draft 2026 GEAP guidance & template
Download the Word Documents below
Complete the survey by 28 February 2025
Access the anonymous online survey here
Step-by-step reading
We recommend reading one step of the guidance and then answering survey questions for that step rather than reading the entire document first.
2026 Progress reporting guidance & template
What you should know
Guidance format
- The draft guidance is in a Word document for this consultation.
- The final version will be published in HTML format for easier navigation, along with a Word version for those who prefer it.
- The guidance is lengthy, so the HTML version will be broken into sections to improve usability.
- Grey highlighted text in the guidance and templates indicates where hyperlinks will be added in the HTML version. Please ignore these highlights during your review.
New 2026 progress report template
- We’ve made changes to the progress report template for the next reporting period. Please let us know what you think of it via the survey.
Future support materials
- We’re also creating additional resources that will support you in completing the progress report template.
- These will be released in May onwards.
How to provide feedback
Review the draft 2026 Progress report guidance and template
Download the Word documents below:
Complete the survey by Wednesday 12 March 2025
Access the anonymous online survey here.
Step-by-step reading
We recommend you read one step of the guidance, then answer survey questions for that step, rather than reading the entire document first.
2025 Audit guidance
Our draft 2025 Workplace gender audit guidance will be open for your review and feedback by March 2025.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the draft guidance or the surveys, please get in touch with us at enquiries@genderequalitycommission.vic.gov.au
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