The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has released gender pay gap data for more than 10,500 Australian employers, providing greater transparency about pay inequality across workplaces.
Key insights from the latest data show that while progress is being made, significant gaps remain:
• More employer gender pay gaps are smaller than they were a year ago
• The number of employers within the target pay gap range has increased
• More than half of employers still have a gender pay gap larger than 11.2%
• Employers in high-paying and male-dominated industries are more likely to have the largest gaps
Transparency is an important step toward accountability and change. Workers, employers and the community can now better understand where gender pay inequality exists and what needs to improve.
As International Working Women’s Day 2026 approaches, we want to ensure everyone across the Working Women’s Centres Network is aware of the events taking place in each state and territory.
This is an important opportunity to stand alongside unions, community partners and supporters to call for safer workplaces, real equality and respect for every woman.
We encourage Centres to:
Below is a national snapshot of confirmed events.
Hobart
International Women’s Day Rally
When: 2 March | 12.30 pm
Where: Franklin Square
Melbourne
International Working Women’s Day 2026
When: 6 March | 12pm
Where: Lygon Street outside Victorian Trades Hall Council – 54 Victoria St, Carlton
Darwin
International Women’s Day Walk and Celebration
When: 7 March | 8am
Where: CDU Danala Campus (City) – 54 Cavenagh Street, Darwin
Adelaide
International Women’s Day March
When: 7 March | 10.15am
Where: Tarndanyangga (Victoria Square)
Brisbane
WWQ International Women’s Day Breakfast 2026
When: 10 March | 7am
Where: The Ballroom at Victoria Park / Barrambin- 309 Herston Rd, Herston
Perth
Balance the Scales- International Women’s Day 2026
When: 11 March | 11am
Where: Palace Tower, Boorloo Room Ground Floor
Sydney
International Women’s Day 2026
When: 13 March | 5pm
Where: Town Hall Sydney – 483 George St.
If you’re organising or attending another International Women’s Day event that isn’t listed, please contact us to add an event to our listing.
Working Women’s Centre Australia is contributing to the national conversation on workplace safety and gender equality.
Our Policy and Administration Officer, Kirsty Faulder, has written a powerful piece for Women’s Agenda calling for sexual harassment to be recognised and treated as what it truly is: a preventable workplace safety hazard under Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws — not merely an individual complaint under anti-discrimination frameworks.
This national media coverage amplifies our advocacy for systemic reform and highlights our strong commitment to preventing workplace gendered violence. To read the full article, “No More Silence: Treat Sexual Harassment as the Safety Hazard It Is,” click here.
Sexual harassment and discrimination at work should be treated as a preventable safety hazard under Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws — not just as an individual complaint under anti-discrimination frameworks.
The current system relies too heavily on individuals to come forward, placing the burden on workers to take personal and professional risks. Our Policy and Administration Officer, Kirsty Faulder, has written a piece for Women’s Agenda calling for sexual harassment to be recognised for what it truly is: a preventable workplace safety hazard. To read the full article, “No More Silence: Treat Sexual Harassment as the Safety Hazard It Is,” click here.
In parallel, a national joint submission titled Safety Regulation for Primary Prevention of Gendered Violence has been submitted to Safe Work Australia as part of the Best Practice Review. The submission was led and extensively coordinated by Sapphire Parsons in her capacity as Co-Chair of the Law Reform Committee for Victorian Women Lawyers. Through strong national leadership and coordination, Sapphire brought together more than 30 organisations and peak bodies in a significant cross-sector collaboration.
The submission calls for explicit regulatory reform to ensure gendered violence — including sexual harassment — is recognised and addressed as a workplace safety hazard under WHS laws. It reinforces the growing consensus that prevention must be embedded within safety regulation itself, shifting the burden from individual complaints to systemic employer obligations.
Working Women’s Centre Australia is also campaigning to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and other unjust tools that silence women across Australia in cases of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination.
If you would like to be part of this movement, find out more about our Our Silence Is Not for Sale campaign here.
Sexual harassment and discrimination should be addressed like any other workplace hazard — proactively, collectively, and with strong enforcement powers.
To make it easier for everyone to use the Hub confidently and consistently, we’ve created three practical one-page guides to support navigation across the platform and the publishing of news and events.
These guides are designed to help you quickly find what you need, share updates from your Centre, and contribute to collaboration across the Working Women’s Centres Network.
How to navigate the Hub area
A quick overview of the Hub layout, key tabs, and where to find resources, campaigns, Events, and News.
Access here: How to navigate the Hub area
How to create an event on the Hub
Step-by-step guidance on how to publish local or national events, including what information to add and how to make sure your event appears correctly in the calendar.
Access here: How to create an event on the Hub
How to create a News post on the Hub
A simple guide to publishing News posts to share updates, good practice, campaign milestones, reflections, and learnings with the wider network.
Access here: How to create a News post on the Hub
A new report by Unions NSW, Ready, Willing, Unable: The Hidden Barriers to Ethical Bystander Action in the Workplace, confirms that many workers witness harmful behaviour but feel unable to safely intervene. Fear of retaliation, lack of trust in employer systems, and weak accountability continue to silence bystanders.
The findings also point to clear pathways for change. The report emphasises the need for meaningful, practical bystander training, stronger legal protections for ethical bystanders, and leadership accountability that goes beyond “tick-the-box” compliance. Union presence and active delegates were consistently identified as protective factors that increase confidence and improve outcomes.
Read the full report to explore the key findings and recommendations for driving cultural change and strengthening ethical bystander action in workplaces.
The Power to Prevent Coalition has made a formal submission to Safe Work Australia’s Best Practice Review of the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws and regulations. The statement calls for stronger WHS protections to address work-related violence, including gendered violence, sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying, recognising these as serious psychosocial hazards that disproportionately affect women and marginalised workers. It recommends regulation of work-related gendered violence, a clear risk management approach (beyond training alone), recognition of discrimination as a psychosocial hazard, and a requirement for employers to develop written prevention plans in consultation with workers and unions. These reforms would align WHS laws with Australia’s national prevention frameworks and international obligations, and position Australia as a leader in preventing gender-based violence at work
Working Women’s Centre Australia has joined more than 40 organisations in a national submission to Safe Work Australia, calling for stronger model Work Health and Safety laws to better prevent work-related gendered violence. The submission highlights that gendered violence — including sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination and other psychosocial harms — is a serious and widespread safety risk that requires clear, enforceable duties under WHS legislation.
The submission recommends explicit regulation of work-related gendered violence, stronger requirements for employers to identify and manage risks, and prevention plans developed in consultation with workers, particularly those most at risk. It also emphasises the need to address workplace power imbalances, structural inequality, and intersectional discrimination as core drivers of harm.
This October, three advocates from our Activist Network for the “Our Silence Is Not for Sale” campaign spoke publicly about the impact of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and shared their lived experiences.
Raising Awareness at the Public Forum
Tessa Milford-Behn, who chose to be identified at the event as Lauren, and Leanne Kirkaldie spoke at the NDA Public Forum hosted by the Working Women’s Centre SA. They shared powerful stories about the serious and life-changing harassment they experienced in former workplaces, their challenges in seeking justice, and the silencing and shaming effects of NDAs.
“Speaking at this public forum was such a positive and empowering experience. It was refreshing to be in a room full of people who genuinely want to make a difference and who understand the harm NDAs cause to victims.
The Working Women’s Centre made sure I felt comfortable taking part. This experience made me believe that change is possible, and I was truly grateful to be part of it.”
— Tessa Milford-Behn (Lauren)
The event also featured Sharmilla Bargon, who discussed her report Let’s Talk About Confidentiality, and Hon. Katrine Hildyard MP, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.
You can read the full report-back from the Public Forum on NDAs here.
Speaking in the Media
Another advocate from our Activist Network, Anna Hough, continued to raise her voice in the media. Her story was featured in The Weekend Australian on 11 October, and she wrote an opinion piece for The Australian on 17 October.
Anna’s article, “Silencing Workplace Abuse No Way to Set New Standard,” highlights what it means to speak truth to power and to seek justice after traumatic experiences in federal parliament. She exposes how survivors of sexual assault in Australia’s parliament continue to face silence, stalled reforms, and pressure to sign NDAs.
Anna calls for the full implementation of the Set the Standard recommendations, independent complaint processes, and a redress scheme for survivors. She condemns NDAs for protecting perpetrators rather than victims and supports the Speaking from Experience report and the Our Silence Is Not for Sale campaign by the Working Women’s Centre Australia.
To read the full opinion piece, click here.
Collaboration Opportunities
If your Centre would like to host an Our Silence Is Not for Sale event or involve one of the campaign’s activists in your local initiatives, please contact the National Team to discuss coordination and support.
The Power to Prevent Coalition has prepared a joint statement to be submitted to the Best Practice Review, aiming to strengthen national responses to workplace sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
Some of you may have attended the recent Power to Prevent meeting where this statement was discussed. If you haven’t had the chance yet, we encourage you to read the attached statement and consider endorsing it if you feel comfortable doing so.
To endorse the statement or ask any questions, please contact Feiyi Zhang at Feiyi.Zhang@nationallegalaid.org.au.