Women's battle for equal pay continues

ALMOST 40 years after it became unlawful to pay women less than men for equal work of equal value, women are still earning on average $196 a week less than men.

"To match the average wage a man earns in 12 months in the financial year working full time ordinary hours, a woman has to work an extra 54 days, or a total of 14 weeks, to earn the same,'' Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency director Anna McPhee said.

Today, 54 days after the end of the financial year, has been declared Equal Pay Day by those fighting to end pay inequity.

Ms McPhee's agency is calling on employers to mark the day by holding a pay audit in their workplaces.

She wants employers to ensure they have transparent pay scales and promotion criteria, a meaningful work valuation assessment and flexible work practices for all staff.

The Federal Government has established a parliamentary inquiry into pay equity, which is due to begin soon, and the ACTU is calling for annual reporting of gender pay data by all employers.

Ms McPhee said the 15.6 per cent gender wage gap reveals the systemic discrimination and under-valuation of women's work and believes the inequity hurts not just women but their families and society as a whole.

Threat to stall same-sex reforms

AFTER fighting for years for equal recognition before the law, gay and lesbian couples face another wait because of Coalition threats to delay the Government's legislation.

Opposition's legal affairs spokesman, George Brandis, would push at today's meeting of the shadow cabinet for the Coalition to use its numbers and send the legislation to a Senate committee. The legislation, which Labor promised before the election, removes discrimination against gay couples in about 100 areas of Commonwealth law.

It does not bestow the right to marriage but gives gay couples the same rights as heterosexual de facto couples in sharing benefits such as Commonwealth superannuation and veterans' benefits.

Labor wants the legislation, which is before Parliament, passed before July 1. Any delay could push the debate back until September, leaving it at the mercy of the new Senate.

John Challis, of the CompSuper Action Committee, said he was appalled at Senator Brandis's plans. Gays would be denied the satisfaction of being recognised as equals of heterosexual de facto couples.

"It's charity, it's not social justice," Mr Challis said. "It's got nothing to do with equality between gay and heterosexual couples."

Related:

Same sex couples add names to ACT register
Same sex couples in the ACT say they are delighted they can now legally register as partners.

Watered down same-sex laws pass in ACT
Laws granting same-sex couples legal recognition passed the ACT Legislative Assembly Thursday night, but the territory government is still furious it was forced to water down its legislation.

Gay activist questions govt decision
The ACT government has been forced to abandon plans to legally recognise same-sex civil union ceremonies after the Rudd government refused to support the move, upsetting the Australian Coalition for Equality.

Report: Freedom, Respect, Equality, Dignity: Action

FREDA: NGO Report to UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (April 2008)

In April 2008, a major NGO Report was submitted to the UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights regarding Australia’s implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Report, entitled Freedom, Respect, Equality, Dignity: Action is available at the Human Rights Law Resource Centre’s website and, was jointly prepared by the National Association of Community Legal Centres, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre and Kingsford Legal Centre. A further 30 NGOs with specific human rights and subject matter expertise made substantial contributions to the Report. The Report is supported, in whole or in part, by over 100 NGOs.

The Report is intended to assist the Committee to prepare a List of Issues for Australia during the Pre-Sessional Working Group meeting from 19 to 23 May 2008. It is also intended to ensure that the Committee is equipped to engage in a rigorous and constructive dialogue with Australia when it is reviewed by the Committee in 2009.

The Report is a comprehensive and constructive analysis of the state of ESC rights in Australia and makes a range of targeted recommendations to address disadvantage and poverty. The Report documents a number of areas in which Australia is falling short of its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

It focuses on areas that have been the subject of extensive NGO activity and research in Australia. Subjects detailed in the report include:

the lack of legal recognition and protection of economic, social and cultural rights;
the nature and extent of poverty in Australia and the need for a comprehensive national poverty reduction strategy;
Indigenous self-determination and disadvantage;
the current housing crisis and the significant problem of homelessness;
groups within society that remain vulnerable to discrimination, such as Indigenous peoples, women and children, people with disability, asylum seekers and gay and lesbian couples;
violence against women;
the inadequacy of income and social security supports;
the regression of workers' rights under Work Choices;
the crisis in mental health in Australia and the inadequacy of mental health care;
the chronic under funding of both public health care and education; and
the deleterious impacts of Australia’s immigration law and policy on families and children.
The Report includes recommendations as to concrete steps that Australian authorities should take to bring Australia more fully into compliance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; an Australia in which all persons can live with freedom, respect, equality and dignity.