Gender pay gap data puts spotlight on public sector

Gender pay gaps at Australia's biggest public sector employers have been revealed for the first time, showing lower gaps compared to the private sector.

However, men account for just 11 per cent of all primary carers leave taken and 49 per cent of employers still have a gender pay gap in favour of men.

Well-known employers such as Australia Post, the Australian Tax Office, Reserve Bank, CSIRO and dozens of federal government departments have had their pay gaps published.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency was able to publish the data after law changes in 2023, with private sector gaps published earlier in 2025.

Half of Commonwealth public sector employers have a median total remuneration gender pay gap lower than 4.8 per cent, compared to 8.9 per cent in the private sector.

Nearly half have a median total remuneration gender pay gap in the target range of within +/-5 per cent, compared to 31 per cent in the private sector.

More than half of employers improved their median total renumeration gender pay gap in the past 12 months.

The results showed how progress could be achieved when employers used long-term and deliberate actions that addressed gender equality, agency chief executive Mary Wooldridge said.

"Pleasingly we have also seen large rises in the number of employers conducting a gender pay gap analysis, acting on the results and consulting with employees to understand their experience at work," she said.

"These actions are crucial steps to help employers gain greater understanding of the drivers of their individual gender pay gaps and to implement relevant and evidence-informed actions to address them."

When compared to the private sector, women and men also have more balanced representation in the upper pay areas of the Commonwealth public sector.

Women also comprise 47 per cent of the highest-paid positions.

Although progress had been made, Ms Wooldridge said there was still work to do to improve gender equality.

"Workplace gender equality benefits everyone, so it is important that barriers for men are also addressed," she said.

She said public sector employers needed to "ensure more men have confidence to take primary carer's leave", urging them to "drive cultural change that removes real or perceived penalties for taking time out for caring roles".