EEO Legislation for women in Australia was given the thumbs up today Director of the Affirmative Action Agency (now the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency), Catherine Harris welcomed the results of the review of the legislation and the proposed changes.

According to Ms Harris, the results of the review confirmed that the benefits of having an affirmative action program clearly outweighed the costs.

"The review committee recognised there is still a long way to go before women achieve equity in Australian workplaces. It also recognised that the progress towards EEO benefits women, businesses and Australia," Ms Harris said.

"I am delighted to see the recommendation that sanctions remain and also that many of the changes that the Agency suggested have been accepted."

"For instance, the proposed change to biennial reporting, will not only reduce the paperwork for organisations but will also free up Agency staff to spend more time assisting employers through the provision of training, feedback and education."

"The Government has recognised the importance of the Agency's contribution towards assisting organisations in the area of equal employment opportunity and better workplace relations," Ms Harris said.

"The proposed changes will streamline and modernise the legislation."

"The Affirmative Action Agency, under a new name, will continue to work with employers to achieve progress in the workplace," Ms Harris said.

The final report of the Regulatory Review of the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 and the Federal Government response was released today.

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