The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) had made significant advances in working with business to promote the new focus of recently amended legislation concerning equal opportunity for women in the workplace, EOWA Director Fiona Krautil noted at the tabling of the Agency's annual report in Parliament today.

The Agency's chief executive said that EOWA had succeeded in forging strong partnerships with Australian employers and employer organisations in its bid to seek strategic solutions to the issue of better utilisation of Australia's female workforce. An outcome of the consultation process had been the positive response by employers to the renewed emphasis on advising and educating employers to help them comply with the legislation. Both of these points were reported in the EOWA 1999/2000 Annual Report tabled before Parliament.

Krautil reported that the Agency had focused in the past 12 months on adding value to employers' bottom-line. More Australian employers were acknowledging that it made good business sense to attract and retain the best talent irrespective of gender, she said.

While the latest indications are that the gender wage gap for managers is narrowing, Ms Krautil noted that many women still earned less than men, and many women still found they had no choice but to stop working when they had children. Krautil said that EOWA had met with over 25 per cent of employers covered by the Act in a continued bid to address such inequities.

The Agency had also sought feedback from business on the implementation of the amended Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 introduced last year. Transitional arrangements relating to the amended Act meant that employers had not been required to report in 2000 on their equal opportunity programs.

"This is why", explained Krautil, "this year's report does not contain the names of companies who have not complied with the Act. It would be great to repeat this feature of the report in future years, not by having a non-reporting year, but by being able to provide sufficient help and incentive to employers so that they all comply with the Act."

The one year's hiatus from reporting has enabled EOWA to lay the groundwork for ongoing co-operative relationships between EOWA and reporting employers. Following extensive roundtable consultations with employers, EOWA has used the time to develop a range of guidelines and educative tools. The year's break has also allowed employers additional time to develop their EO programs before reporting in 2001.

In addition, EOWA has been working on tools to assist companies to achieved waived status by taking "all reasonably practicable measures" to achieve equal opportunity for women, Krautil added.

"Our job is to help businesses fully utilise the talent of their female workforce in order to remain competitive. However, Australian women still remain primarily in support rather than key decision-making roles. How long can we afford to ignore the talent of 50 per cent of our workforce?" she asked.

Krautil recommended that all businesses employing over 100 people should access EOWA's website, www.eowa.gov.au, for further information and guidance about complying with the legislation.

Australian women continue to be in support rather than key decision-making roles. How long can we afford to ignore the talent of 50 per cent of our workforce?" asks EOWA director Fiona Krautil.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: SOME FACTS AND FIGURES

• Women's representation in management in general has increased from 25.04% in 1995 to 27.34% in 1999.
• The percentage of female board directors in Australia has grown from 6 per cent in 1996 to 10 per cent in 1999.
• More than 150 women have been appointed to senior positions on Commonwealth Boards and bodies in the first six months of 2000, totalling 32.2 per cent of total Commonwealth board positions.
• Currently, Australian female full-time earnings reach 83.8 per cent of male full-time earnings.
• Latest indications are that the gender wage gap for managers is narrowing, with the ratio of female-to-male average weekly earnings at 79.4 per cent, significantly up from 74.6 per cent in 1996.
• The ratio of female-to-male average weekly earnings for non-managers is 89.1 per cent, down slightly from 89.5 per cent in 1996

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