About us and the Gender Equality Act 2020

The Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner was established under the Gender Equality Act 2020. The Commissioner and the staff in her Office make up the Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector.

Commission staff support the Commissioner to oversee the Act, and to promote gender equality in the public sector workforce and wider Victorian community.

Here are some of the ways we assist organisations under the Act:

• providing education and support, including guidance materials and other resources to help organisations meet their obligations
• raising awareness about intersectional gender inequality in workplaces and the community
• supporting compliance assessments and reporting on gender equality in the public sector
• investing in gender equality research.

The Gender Equality Act (2020)

The Act applies to certain Victorian public sector organisations that have 50 or more employees. These are referred to as 'duty holders' (called 'defined entities' in the Act).

The Act requires:

• the Victorian public sector, local councils and universities to:
  • take action towards achieving workplace gender equality
  • consider and promote gender equality in their policies, programs and services.
• the Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner to:
  • provide education
  • support implementation
  • enforce compliance.

Here is a list of duty holders.

Objectives of the Act

The Act aims to:

• promote and support gender equality and improve the status of women
• remove systemic causes of gender inequality in policy, programs and delivery of services in workplaces and communities
• recognise that gender inequality can be compounded by other forms of disadvantage or discrimination, including:
  • ableism
  • ageism
  • racism
  • sexism
  • transphobia
  • (This reflects an intersectional approach to gender inequality. Our Applying intersectionality publication has more information).
• address disadvantage, stigma, stereotyping, prejudice and violence through structural change
• help people of different genders participate in economic and social activities
• promote the right to equality, set out in the:
  • Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities
  • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

History of the Gender Equality Act 2020

The 2016 Royal Commission into Family Violence showed that Victoria needs to address gender inequality in order to reduce family violence and all forms of violence against women.

In response, Victoria’s first gender equality strategy, Safe and Strong, was released in December 2016. As part of Safe and Strong, the government committed to legislation to promote gender equality.

The Act is the result of extensive public and stakeholder consultation. This included:

• 56 submissions and 700 responses through Engage Victoria
• 10 face-to-face stakeholder workshops and additional targeted consultations
• a Citizens' Jury.

The feedback received through this process was very positive. Stakeholders viewed the Bill as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to influence policy, culture and attitudes across Victoria.

When the Act passed through Parliament in February 2020, the Department of Premier and Cabinet began work on implementation and the Commissioner was appointed. The Office of the Commissioner is called the Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector.