Matt Canavan wins the dumbest comment about the gender pay gap so far

Women have come to expect some absurd comments from men about the gender pay gap but Senator Matt Canavan has just won.

3 min read

February 27, 2024 - 3:23PM

Publishing of gender pay gap in companies a ‘great first step’

OPINION

When women talk about the gender pay gap it’s expected that some man will make an absurd comment to belittle the issue. This time, Nationals MP Matt Canavan has had the dumbest clapback yet.

On Tuesday, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) published data that showed the pay gap between men and women sits at 19 per cent and the median Australian female worker is taking home $18,461 less than their male counterpart.

This year for the first time, businesses that employ more than 100 people have had their gender pay gaps published (click here if you want to check out your employer) so that businesses are accountable. This was a promise made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in 2023.

Senator Canavan has branded the first major gender pay gap report as “useless” and an “annual Andrew Tate recruitment drive”.

“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 wins the prize for the dumbest comment about the gender pay gap. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Tate is the social media influencer and self-described misogynist who’s awaiting trial in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

He has previously said rape victims must “bear responsibility” for their attacks and when asked what he’d do if he found out a woman was cheating said: “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up b*tch.”

I’m sorry but how has Senator Canavan conflated women being paid 19 per cent less into promoting rape culture to young men? His statement is so absurd that it would be funny if it wasn’t so dangerous.

By saying men will be led into the arms of Mr Tate by seeing data where women are being discriminated against is basically implying that men have a right to be mad if they aren’t given special treatment over women.

Andrew Tate is currently awaiting trial in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. Picture: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP

Senator Canavan, you tell me why men should be paid more? Seriously, what is your rationale for this?

Does Senator Canavan think they pay gap should just be ignored so that men can live in some sort of delusion that equality exists when it so blatantly doesn’t, just so their feelings aren’t somehow hurt? (And they say women are dramatic.)

The Queensland Senator also bemoaned the data saying it doesn’t take into account that women often work part-time. This is simply not true. The WGEA data converts part-time and casual salaries to full-time equivalent earnings.

A serving member of parliament should know this before shooting his mouth off about a study and bringing an alleged rapist into the argument. His excitement to start a culture war over data shows the sorry state of some members in our elected parliament.

If Senator Canavan doesn’t understand the data then maybe he should simply keep quiet about it.

This latest report proves (again) that the gender pay gap is real and women are being discriminated against. It’s the job of our MPs to try to do something about it.

What I don’t understand is why some men feel so threatened by that. Are they worried that if women get paid fairly it would somehow take money out of their pay? This doesn’t have to be the case. For example, when women first joined the workforce men’s wages actually rose, even though there were fears the opposite would happen. Disruption to wages doesn’t have to be bad news for men.