New legislation will require large Australian employers to select and meet gender equality targets, creating fresh reporting responsibilities for EAs supporting executive teams. From 2026, employers with 500 or more staff must select three gender equality targets and demonstrate progress against them within three years. Both private sector and Commonwealth public sector organisations must report their target selections to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) in April-May 2026.
The changes follow amendments to the Workplace Gender Equality Act passed by parliament in March, designed to accelerate progress on workplace gender equality through greater accountability measures.
2025 saw continued transparency initiatives, with WGEA publishing gender pay gaps for 9,500 private sector employers and 120 Commonwealth public sector employers. The 2024-25 Gender Equality Scorecard showed the national gender pay gap dropped to 21.1%, down from 21.8% the previous year.
What this means for EAs:
- If you’re supporting executives in organisations with 500+ employees, expect increased focus on gender equality data collection, target setting, and progress reporting.
- Consider discussing with your executive team whether current HR systems and processes can support the new reporting requirements.
- The mandatory nature of these targets means gender equality initiatives will likely become a regular agenda item for leadership meetings and board discussions.
WGEA will publish both private and Commonwealth public sector gender pay gaps simultaneously on 3 March 2026. Employers can provide context through Employer Statements that appear alongside their results on the WGEA Data Explorer.
