Victoria’s inaugural Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner, Niki Vincent, has been reappointed to the role.
The Commissioner position was established in 2020 and promotes gender equality across the public sector and the broader community.
“Dr Vincent has done a power of work in only four years to implement the Gender Equality Act that has laid the groundwork to bring about real and positive change, not just in the public sector but in Victoria more broadly,” said Minister for Women, Natalie Hutchins.
“We look forward to working with Dr Vincent for another term to ensure the momentum she has built continues to deliver on the promise of the Act and the work of the Commission.”
Dr Vincent (pictured) has overseen the implementation of Victoria’s Gender Equality Act 2020, which includes obligations for public sector organisations to make lasting and genuine progress towards gender equality.
This includes the introduction of biannual workplace gender equality audits and a reporting platform for more than 300 Victorian public sector organisations, including government departments, local councils, hospitals and universities.
“For the first four years, my focus has been on helping organisations grow their understanding of gender inequality, its impacts in the workplace and broader community, and in building their capabilities to drive meaningful change,” said Dr Vincent.
“With this foundational work in place, I am sharpening my focus as a regulator to reduce the harms that result from gender inequality, and as we move into the next cycle, I will expect to see much greater progress showing up in the quantitative data we collect.”
Organisations’ data on workplace audits and plans to address the gender pay gap, workplace sexual harassment and gender inequality in leadership are made publicly available, and they must report on their progress every two years. The Commissioner will release key findings from the first two years of reporting later this year.
The reporting platform holds more than one hundred million pieces of data on the state and nature of gender inequality in Victoria, making it the most comprehensive dataset of its kind.