The 2007-08 Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) Annual Report tabled in parliament on Wednesday November 26 informs of progress made by the Agency on behalf of working women.

In 2007-08 EOWA released its Top Earners report that identified gender pay gaps in the ASX200; its Generation F report that revealed what men and women want from employers; and its survey results of the workplace flexibility offered by Australian businesses.

EOWA also raised the bar for its Employer of Choice for Women Citation, with six new standards required. 99 organisations successfully achieved this high profile citation.

Also in the Annual Report is the list of organisations not compliant with EOWA legislation. Of the Australian organisations that are required to report to EOWA annually, 2501 were compliant with the Act and 12 were not.

EOWA NON-COMPLIANT LIST 2007-08

• A J Mills & Sons Pty Ltd (Transport, Postal & Warehousing) – Lismore, NSW

• Berri Hotel Incorporated (Accommodation) – Berri, SA

• Charles Hull Contracting Co Pty Ltd (Construction Services) – Waroona, WA

• Fashion Fair Pty Ltd (Clothing Retail) – Lidcombe, NSW

• J J Richards & Sons Pty Ltd incorporating J.J. Richards Pty Ltd; J.J.R. Engineering Pty Ltd; Regwaste Australia; EnviroCom Australia (Waste Collection, Treatment & Disposal Services) – Cleveland, QLD

• Kays Bag Stores (Retail Trade) – Revesby, NSW

• Morgan’s Supa IGA trading name; legal name is Janagrom Nominees Pty Ltd (Food Retail) – Melton, VIC

• Nowshire Pty Ltd (Other Administrative Services) – Brisbane, QLD

• Rivers Australia (Clothing Retail) – Prahran, VIC

• Ross Cosmetics Aust Pty Ltd (Cosmetic & Toiletry Preparation Manufacturing) – Tullamarine, VIC

• Roverworth Pty Ltd (Meat & Meat Product Manufacturing) – Brisbane, QLD

• Thomas Jewellers (Aust) Pty Ltd (Retail Trade) – Melbourne, VIC

These twelve organisations (4 in VIC, 3 in NSW, 3 in QLD, 1 in SA, 1 in WA) which breached the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 are ineligible to tender for any Government contracts and receive industry assistance. Eleven of these organisations have been non-compliant for three or more consecutive years.

“The large majority of medium to large organisations reporting to EOWA are demonstrating their commitment to their female staff and to ensuring equity at all levels of their organisation.” said EOWA Director, Anna McPhee.

“While progress has been made, organisations need to continue to work to remove the barriers that face women and to focus increased attention on improving workplace equity for women from non English speaking backgrounds, mature-aged women, Indigenous women and women with a disability who continue to face even greater challenges in the workplace,” she said.

The EOWW Act 1999 requires organisations with more than 100 staff to report to EOWA annually on the initiatives they have taken to address issues for women in their workplace. Organisations need to demonstrate that they have identified issues affecting their female employees and are taking actions to address them. More than 7,500 organisations are reported on to EOWA.

Over 1.2 million female employees are covered by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 and workplace progress can be seen in a number of indicators including an increase in the percentage of female CEOs within EOWA reporting organisations to 10.6 percent, up from 9.8 percent in 2006-08.

The percentage of organisations that provide twelve or more weeks (in line with the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation) has increased to 40 percent, up from just 27 percent two years ago. There has also been an increase in the overall number of organisations providing paid maternity leave.

Feedback from reporting organisations has reflected positive attitudes toward the work that EOWA carries out. EOWA will continue to work closely with organisations on an individual basis tailoring solutions to each workplace.

For more information visit www.eowa.gov.au

Source: EOWA