submission

WEL Australia has now completed a submission which outlines WEL’s policy recommendations for the 2012 – 2013 Federal Budget.

The submission covers the following policy areas:

1. Clean Energy
2. Children’s Services
3. Employment
4. Tax Reform and Superannuation
5. Affordable Housing

You can download the full submission here.

WEL Australia, the Women’s Equity Think Tank and the National Pay Equity Coalition have just lodged their final joint submissions in the ongoing equal pay case. The case concerns wage rates in the social, community, home care and disability services industry.

Fair Work Australia has already found that work in the female-dominated industry is undervalued, and that the undervaluation is gender-related.

The most recent submissions dealt with how the gender-related undervaluation was to be remedied. FWA asked for submissions on the extent to which wage rates in the SACS industry are lower than they would otherwise be because of gender considerations, and how the amount of the gender related undervaluation of the work of the classifications in the industry should be calculated. It also asked for views on the amount or amounts, either dollar or percentage, to be included in any equal remuneration order.

The women’s organisations submitted that there are gender considerations affecting the valuation of all aspects of the work in the industry, including the nature of the work itself, the funding models adopted by governments for the industry, the supply of and demand for labour, the value put on employee credentials, and the access of employees to wage increases through enterprise bargaining.

Take a look at our submission.

WEL NSW has welcomed the federal government’s recent announcement to “meet its responsibilities” in respect of any phased pay increases that result from the Social and Community Sector (SACS) equal pay case currently before Fair Work Australia.

In its further written submission to Fair Work Australia last week, the government states that “the Commonwealth will meet its responsibilities and provide fair and appropriate supplementation, in consultation with key stakeholders, and taking into account the fiscal implications and opportunities to for reform in the SACA sector.”

As one of the key sources of funding to the social and community, financial support from the federal government is crucial to addressing the gender pay gap in the social and community services sector.

WEL NSW is pleased to see the federal government finally making this crucial financial commitment and looks forward to the government following through with this commitment, once Fair Work Australia’s final decision is handed down.

WEL NSW urges the NSW government to follow suit and similarly put “its money where its mouth is” by publicly committing to funding its share of any pay increases that may result from the equal pay case.

See the federal government’s media release here.