The Gender Equality Act requires duty holders to report on their progress every 2 years.
Workplace audits help highlight what’s working and where more attention is needed. We published this data on our Insights Portal to provide transparency.
You can read the summary of key insights below, or download the Preliminary findings document for more details.
We will publish more insights in early 2025.
Key findings
Pay gap
Gender pay gaps show differences in salary. They also show total pay, including overtime and performance pay. The main gender pay gap we use calculated median total remuneration.
For the whole of the Victorian public sector:
- the median total remuneration gender pay gap decreased to 9.1%
- calculated by ‘mean’, there were slight increases in the gender pay gap.
Gender pay gaps vary by industry. In 2023:
- all but one industry reduced their gender pay gap
- Local Government had the smallest pay gap (1.7%)
- the Police and Emergency Services made the biggest reduction (median total rem).
Sexual harassment
Overall the rate of experience of sexual harassment in the workplace remained the same. More employees said they had formally reported sexual harassment. However, data from organisations captured fewer formal complaints. This shows the need to improve data collection and reporting.
Compared to 2021:
- 14% of people of self described gender experienced sexual harassment, up from 6%
- 7% of women experienced sexual harassment, up from 6%
- 4% of men experienced sexual harassment, down from 6%.
Workforce and governing body composition
The public sector's total workforce composition didn't change. While women are the majority of the workforce, men remained the majority of leaders. There was a small increase in the proportion of women in senior leadership. In 2023:
- women made up 66% of the workforce
- men made up 52% of leaders
- the proportion of women CEOs increased from 39% to 44%
- members and chairs of governing bodies (boards) remained gender balanced.
Paid parental leave
Women remained more likely to take paid parental leave than men.
In 2023:
- the average number of weeks of parental leave taken by men increased to 5.2
- the duration of parental leave for people of self-described gender increased to 5.5 weeks
- women halved the average duration of their parental leave, to 9.1 weeks.
Progress and compliance
This was the first time organisations reported their progress. While 100% of organisations submitted their reports, not all were able to demonstrate compliance. To demonstrate compliance, they needed to show progress.
Progress audit
Duty holders reported against 7 areas that indicate gender equality, compared to 2021.
Demonstrated compliance rates were:
- Gender composition of governing bodies: 88%
- Gender composition at all levels of the workforce: 74%
- Recruitment and promotion: 69%
- Gender pay equity: 67%
- Leave and flexibility: 67%
- Gendered workforce segregation: 63%
- Workplace sexual harassment: 60%
Gender Equality Action Plans
Organisations measured their progress against strategies in their Gender Equality Action Plan.
- 96% of organisations demonstrated compliance.
Gender impact assessments
Organisations reported on how many gender impact assessments they had completed.
- 69% demonstrated compliance.
The next reporting period is from July 2023 to June 2025. Duty holders will have had more time to embed their gender equality work. The Commissioner expects organisations to make greater progress in this period.
Read the full statement
Updated