Gender Equality Targets: What Your Employer Must Do From April 2026

From 1 April to 31 May 2026, every Australian employer with 500 or more employees must nominate three specific gender equality targets as part of their 2025-26 report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).

This is a new legal obligation. Previously, employers just had to report their data. Now they have to commit to improving it.

Employers pick three from a set list. Targets can relate to:

• Pay equity: Closing the gender pay gap within the organisation
• Flexible work: Increasing access to flexible arrangements for all genders
• Promotion and leadership: Improving women's representation in senior roles
• Recruitment: Addressing gender imbalances in hiring
• Sexual harassment: Strengthening prevention and response measures
• Representation: Improving gender balance across all levels

Targets can be numerical (e.g., "reduce pay gap to under 5%") or action-based (e.g., "implement blind recruitment processes").

Employers who fail to select targets — or don't make progress within three years — face real consequences:

• Publicly named by WGEA — listed as non-compliant on the WGEA website
• No compliance certificate — which impacts eligibility to tender for Australian Government contracts
• Reputational damage — in a competitive talent market, being named as non-compliant hurts recruitment

For large employers, losing government contract eligibility alone can mean millions in lost revenue.

This is your leverage. If you work for a company with 500+ employees:

• Ask what targets they've set — you have a right to know. Ask your HR team or check the WGEA website
• Use it in pay negotiations — if your employer has committed to pay equity targets, hold them to it
• Request flexible work — if flexibility is one of their targets, a refusal looks bad
• Report gaps — if you notice your employer isn't walking the talk, you can raise it with WGEA

Check your current pay against industry benchmarks with our pay calculator.

The target requirement currently only applies to employers with 500+ employees. However:

• All employers with 100+ employees must still report to WGEA annually
• WGEA publishes employer gender pay gaps publicly — even without targets
• The threshold may be lowered in future — the government has flagged expanding the scheme

Regardless of company size, you have the right to equal pay for equal work under the Fair Work Act. If you suspect you're being paid less because of your gender, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman.