Review of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 – Submission
Women's Electoral Lobby Vic (WEL)
Dear Liz,
You asked for a brief email in dot form as time was of the essence.
WEL Vic believes that
(i) the key barriers to EEO for women in the workplace are as follows:-
- Long hours and inflexible structures
- Availability of adequate child care and vacation care.
- Lack of Training for promotion opportunities --usually inflexible approaches --should be online for part of these courses.
- Lack of career planning and Mentors for all employees.
- High levels of unemployment lead to fear of unfair dismissal.
Women become risk averse and miss opportunities
- Sexual harassment and discrimination
- The old boys network--jobs for the boys
- Religious organisations which discriminate against women who have different life styles and values.
(ii) costs and benefits to organisations (Large organisations with over 100employees)
- recent research reveals that US companies that had women as directors and in high positions were much more able to survive the Global Financial Crisis
- cost of data collection is balanced by the benefit to the organisation
- Costs to small organisations
(i) mainly in the rplacement of women on maternity leave or for absences due to carer responsibilities
(ii) cost of developing EEO plans.
(iii) What works to achieve EEO WEL believes that after nearly 30 years of promoting EEO it is time to take stronger steps including sanctions and quotas.
WEL urges the Government to request an examination by the Productivity Commission of the costs and benefits of EEO to Australia.
WEL also urges the Government to change the Corporations Act 2001 to ensure that registered companies include women as directors.
WEL believes that there is a necessary connection between the EOWW Act and the Fair Work Act 2009 and that the industrial relations aspects of EOWW should be pursued by the Fair Act Ombudsman
WEL notes the lack of transparency and accountability in salaries earned by employees in the Private sector.
WEL believes transparency and accountability in salary structures should be essential in considering the granting of EEO Awards to entities. Individual employees should have the right to know the level of pay of their colleagues, as well as their entitlements and access to cars, and education costs for their children.
The selection process should be publicised for every job in the private sector.
The process needs considerable overhauling in most entities.
Targets and eventually quotas should be set for women to attend training, to attend conferences and to be chosen as speakers at conferences.
To change attitudes to taking parental leave and leave as carers, companies should identify all the fathers in the organisation whose children are under 15 years old. These fathers should be expected to attend their child's sport days or other events, and to take children to doctors or dentists as necessary.
Data on these absences should be part of information presented for the EEO Awards.
For organisations that fail to meet minimum standards sanctions should apply. Criteria for Government procurement should be tied to EEO planning and achievments. Government subsidies and tax concessions should only be available to organisations which have EEO plans which have been successfully implemented.
WEL believes the EOW Agency should have more resources to
- to collect and analyse and publish data. The data should be disaggregated as far as possible.
- to give feedback to companies that fail to win an award and to assist such companies to improve.
- to collaborate with Local Government to assist them to develop EEO planning for their staff and for small businesses in their area
- to develop a Small Business Award and publish the results in the local free press.
This should proceed particularly in regional and rural areas.
- to promote EEO in workplaces, unions, schools and universities
_____________________
Kerry Lovering OAM
WEL Vic Convenor
PO Box 462 East Melbourne Vic 8002
Web: www.welvic.org.au
66A Molesworth St.,KEW 3101
Ph: 03 9853 2868
Fax 03 9853 3640
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