The use of Workplace Gender Equality Agency pay gap data to measure the fairness of salaries demonstrates a lack of “critical thinking”, and produces results that are inaccurate and unhelpful, as there aren’t enough women software engineers available to hire, according to the chief executive of one of Australia’s fastest-growing tech companies, Octopus Deploy.

Octopus Deploy boss Paul Stovell joined Rokt CEO Bruce Buchanan in criticising coverage of the WGEA data, saying he would hire more highly paid women engineers if he could, while Mr Buchanan claimed the data failed to consider his women workers overseas.