‘Andrew Tate recruitment drives’: Senator Matt Canavan’s extraordinary gender pay gap spray

Nationals MP Matt Canavan has slammed the decision to publish pay gap data, describing the major report an “Andrew Tate recruitment drive”.

National MPs Matt Canavan has dumped on the decision to publish pay gap data complaining that it will hurt men’s feelings so much it will send them into the arms of Andrew Tate who has described women as “dumb hoes.”

In an extraordinary spray, the Queensland Senator has branded the first major gender pay gap report as “useless” and an “annual Andrew Tate recruitment drive”.

According to the new data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency the national gap for total remuneration sits at 19 per cent and the median Australian female worker is taking home $18,461 less than their male counterpart.

But Senator Canavan warned on Tuesday it was better not to publish the data, warning it could result in young men feeling attacked and “discriminated against”.

“These types of reports are becoming annual Andrew Tate recruitment drives, all they do is spread division and resentment in our community,” he said.

“People, young men in particular, feel like they are now being discriminated against and that’s why they’re coming to watch the likes of Andrew Tate in droves.”

Senator Matt Canavan complained that publishing pay gap data will send men into the arms of Andrew Tate. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Andrew Tate is a social media celebrity who has previously suggested women belong in the home, can’t drive, and are a man’s property.

He has suggested rape victims must “bear responsibility” for their attacks and boats of only dating women aged 18–19 because he can “make an imprint” on them.

The British-American kickboxer has bragged of hitting and choking women, trashing their belongings and stopping them from going out.

“It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up b****,” he says in one video.

In others, he calls an ex-girlfriend who accused him of hitting her – an allegation he denies – a “dumb hoe”.

Andrew Tate has previously suggested women belong in the home, can’t drive, and are a man’s property. Picture: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP

According to the new data published today in Australia, the median female salary is $68,071 while the median man’s is $79,613. When total remuneration including super is considered, women earn about $10,000 more, a median of $78,484, while men earn about $17,000 more – $96,945.

Airlines had the biggest pay gaps with the industry blaming the male dominated jobs such as being a pilot for the big gap.

Jetstar’s pay gap was 43.7 per cent, Virgin Australia Airlines sat at 41.7 per cent, Cathay Pacific had 39.5 per cent and Qantas had a pay gap of 37 per cent.

The data reveals that NewsLifeMedia, the publisher of News.Com.au and Nationwide News (News Corp Australia) has a pay gap of 9.4 per cent.

Nine Entertainment has a pay gap of 13.4 per cent and Seven West Media 10.8 per cent.

Jetstar recorded a pay gap of 43.7 per cent. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty

Foxtel recorded a 8.4 per cent pay gap while TikTok Australia reported a 15.3 per cent pay gap or 19.9 per cent when total remuneration was considered.

Facebook Australia had a -1.7 per cent (total remuneration -2.6 per cent) and Google Australia 3.7 per cent (total remuneration 14.9 per cent)

Senator Canavan also claimed the data failed to take into consideration the difference between full time and part time workers.

“This gender pay report must be the most useless set of data that a government agency has ever collected,” he said.

“If we want to have useful information about a gender pay gap we need to at least correct for the fact that different people work part time and full-time.

“This data doesn’t even do that, so it doesn’t even distinguish between people who work a full time job and a part time job.

“And so is the argument here that someone of a certain gender working part time through paid the same salary is someone of a different gender working full time? It’s absolutely absurd.”