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Queensland women fall further behind in push for equal pay

Queensland’s gender pay gap is bigger than the national imbalance with the premier admitting more work needs to be done.

Apr 21, 2021, updated Apr 21, 2021
Employer groups are pushing for a minimum wage increase of no more than 2 per cent. Photo: ABC

Employer groups are pushing for a minimum wage increase of no more than 2 per cent. Photo: ABC

The 2020 Gender Equality Report Cards shows women earned $1485.10 on average per week in the state, compared to men earning $1753.70.

That puts Queensland’s gender pay gap at 15.3 per cent, compared to 14 per cent nationally, said the report released on Wednesday.

Women in the state are more than twice as likely to work part time and also receive almost 33 per cent less in superannuation.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says women comprise 54 per cent of government board members, which is four per cent more than the target she set in 2015.

“I am proud to lead a government that supports equality and justice for women,” she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

Eight of the state’s 18 cabinet members are also women – but women only comprise 16 per cent of chief executives and managing directors in the private sector, compared to 23.4 per cent nationally.

The premier admits the gender pay gap also needs to be reduced.

“We know there’s more work to be done,” Palaszczuk said.

The vast majority of women feel safe in their own homes after dark, but most don’t feel safe outside at night, the report said.

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About 84 per cent safe in their homes after dark, but less than 33 per cent feel safe walking alone in their local area at night.

That compares to 94 per cent of males in their homes and 70 per cent of males who ventured outdoors.

There is a connection between women’s feelings and the reality, with almost 85 per cent of sexual assault victims being female while the same percentage of offenders who breach domestic violence orders are male.

Females were more than three times more likely than males to be killed by their partner with 95 per cent of those being victims of domestic or family violence.

In all but two cases where a male was killed by his female partner, the male was a perpetrator of domestic and family violence.

Palaszczuk said it was time to take national action to address gender inequality in safety and economics.

“That’s why I called on the prime minister to put this on the national cabinet agenda and host a national women’s summit,” she wrote.

“We’ll continue to work every day to make Queensland a place where women and girls can live safely, pursue a career, and achieve everything they dream of.”

The state report comes ahead a national cabinet meeting in Darwin in July which will examine state and federal spending programs focused on women’s economic security.

The leaders are expected to develop a national women’s economic security plan similar to an existing scheme focused on eliminating domestic violence.

A national women’s safety summit will also be held in July, with the location to be announced.

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