The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has released new analysis of gender equality within the Commonwealth public sector. 

The Commonwealth Public Sector Gender Equality Scorecard: Key Employer Results from 2022 provides a detailed comparison of gender pay gaps and gender equality metrics between the public sector and Australia's private sector.

On average, women employed in the Commonwealth public sector earn 86 cents for every dollar earned by men. 

This results in a total remuneration gender pay gap of 13.5 per cent, equating to a $19,000 difference annually. This gap is significantly narrower than the private sector's 21.7 per cent.

Key findings from the report include:

  • 50 per cent of public sector employers have a median total remuneration gender pay gap above 6.9 per cent, compared to 9.1 per cent in the private sector

  • Nearly half (48 per cent) of public sector employers have gender-balanced management teams, versus 27 per cent in the private sector 

  • Men are 2.5 times more likely to be in the highest pay quartile, driven largely by highly paid non-manager roles such as professionals, trades, and technicians

  • 75 per cent of public sector employees work full-time, compared to 54 per cent in the private sector 

  • Women in the public sector are more likely to work full-time (73 per cent) than their private sector counterparts, where nearly 60 per cent work part-time or casually.

  • Men account for 11 per cent of primary carer’s leave taken, compared to 14 per cent in the private sector. 

  • Only 13 per cent of public sector employers offer paid parental leave universally, lower than the private sector's 21 per cent

WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge says this baseline data is needed to drive employer action to reduce the gender pay gap, and that good policies alone are insufficient.

“Positive change takes thought and deliberate action,” Wooldridge said.

Minister for Women and the Public Service, Senator Katy Gallagher, says the government is committed to gender equality. 

“The public sector should set a standard for promoting gender equality, and WGEA reporting is a key part of that,” Gallagher stated.

The WGEA's publication of individual gender equality outcomes for 116 Commonwealth public sector employers includes organisations such as NBN Co, CSIRO, the Australian Federal Police, the Reserve Bank, and Australia Post.