[Greens-Media] FW: Greens introduce pay equity bill into WA parliament

[Richards, Kirsten]

WA Greens today introduced a Bill to provide employees under the Western Australian industrial relations system with pay equity protections similar to their counterparts under federal jurisdiction.

"At over 28 per cent, WA has the largest pay equity gap in Australia. It is particularly unjust then that around one third of WA workers do not have the same access to pay equity claims as workers coming under the federal IR system," said Greens spokesperson for Industrial Relations and Women, Hon Alison Xamon MLC, in introducing her Private Member's Bill into Parliament.

"Successive Government's performance on pay equity has been dismal. Concrete action to address WA's appalling pay equity gap, and in particular the entrenched gender inequity in the social and community services sector, is long overdue.

"If passed, my Industrial Relations (Equal Remuneration) Amendment Bill 2011 will allow for the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission to hear pay equity cases and to make enforceable equal remuneration orders so that employees will receive equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value," said Ms Xamon.

"Adequately addressing the issue of pay equity is important, not only because as a civilised society we have a duty to ensure justice and equity for women, but also because there is a compelling economic argument in that equal pay for women provides a strong incentive for more women to enter the workforce and thus boost the labour force."

Ms Xamon called on Members of Parliament to demonstrate their commitment to ending the appalling disparity between men and women's pays by supporting the bill.

"We have a moral responsibility to ensure that those workers covered under the state industrial relations system are not being paid lower wages because of longstanding undervaluing of work traditionally viewed as 'women's work'. There have obviously been significant developments in Queensland and at the federal level. WA is behind the eight ball. We should be leading in our efforts to address the issue," she said.