Gender Pay Gap Taskforce: New group established to eliminate pay discrepancies between men and women in SA

A group made up of SA industry leaders will recommend actions to reduce the gender pay gap and “systematic inequalities” which cause it.

A new Gender Pay Gap Taskforce will work to eliminate the gap between the average earnings of men and women in South Australia.

The group, to be chaired by MLC Irene Pnevmatikos, will be made up of industry and sector leaders and will meet for the first time in October, the Advertiser can reveal.

Among the leaders involved are BHP asset president Olympic Dam Jennifer Purdie, Eldercare chief executive Jane Pickering, Business SA chief executive Andrew Kay, SA Council of Social Services chief executive Ross Womersley and University of SA Centre for Workplace Excellence Professor Carol Kulik.

BHP Olympic Dam Asset President Jennifer Purdie. Picture: BHP

Eldercare chief executive Jane Pickering. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

The task force also includes Working Women’s Centre SA director Abbey Kendall, SA Unions vice president (women) Natasha Brown, Remuneration Tribunal SA president Matthew O’Callaghan, Equal Opportunity Commissioner Jodeen Carney, Public Sector Employment Commissioner Erma Ranieri and Office for Women Director Dr Sanjugta Vas Dev.

Their objectives are to identify the specific issues that contribute to the gender pay gap in South Australia, which is currently 7.4 per cent.

It is the result of social and economic factors that reduce women’s earning capacity, including conscious and unconscious discrimination and bias in hiring and pay decisions, female-dominated industries and jobs attracting lower wages, and lack of workplace flexibility to accommodate caring and other responsibilities.

Business SA CEO Andrew Kay. Picture: Matt Loxton

UniSA Professor Carol Kulik. Picture: UniSA

Over the coming two years, the group will consult with experts, provide advice to the minister and, ultimately, make recommendations on actions that should be taken to reduce the gap.

Women and Family and Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Katrine Hildyard said the $124 weekly difference in average full-time earnings for men and women can add up to a “lifetime of inequality”.

“With so many pervasive social factors contributing to the gap, I know this won’t be an easy task,” she said.

“That is why it is important to bring together top leaders from our state’s biggest industries to progress real action.”

Equal Opportunity Commissioner Jodeen Carney.

SACOSS CEO Ross Womersley. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Ms Pnevmatikos said factors such as the climate emergency, the pandemic and poverty disproportionately effect women’s participation in the workforce.

“As a result, we have seen the national gender pay gap increase in recent years,” she said.

“This has highlighted the stark realities of inequality within South Australian workplaces.”

She said the pay gap was “more than just an issue of pay differentials”.

“It is systemic inequalities within both societal and cultural norms,” she said.

“It is imperative we seriously redress this imbalance.”