Data and information handling

The WGE Act requires relevant employers to submit annual reports to the Agency. Reporting information is collected and used by the Agency for the purposes of administering its functions under the WGE Act and related activities. These include (among others):

• collecting and analysing information provided by relevant employers under the WGE Act (s. 10(1)(d))
• developing benchmarks for gender equality indicators (s. 10(1)(aa))
• reviewing compliance with the WGE Act by relevant employers, reviewing public reports lodged by relevant employers and dealing with those reports in accordance with the WGE Act (s. 10(1)(c )).

WGEA also undertakes broader functions, including:

• conducting research and educational programs to promote workplace gender equality (s. 10(1)(e))
• promoting public understanding and discussion of gender equality issues (s. 10(1)(f)).

The Report lodged to WGEA consists of questions about the relevant employer's workforce, covering:

• Gender
• Postcode of place of work
• Employment status
• Type of employment
• Occupational and manager category
• Industry classification
• Remuneration

While employee names are not collected, some individuals may be identifiable based on the data provided.

The collection of Gender Equality Reporting data is authorised by the WGE Act. Any voluntary information collected is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

Personal information and reports

When lodging a Report, employers must complete a declaration confirming whether the Report contains any personal or sensitive information, as defined by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Note:

• Free text responses at the end of each Questionnaire section are treated as public data and are included in the Public Report - Questionnaire.
• Do not include personal information in the free text boxes.

WGEA manages all data and information lodged during the Gender Equality Reporting process in line with relevant legislation and internal policies. Any personal information provided (e.g. the contact details of an employer’s reporting contact) is handled in accordance with WGEA’s Privacy Policy. Please refer to WGEA’s Privacy Policy for further information.

Is our data securely stored?

Yes, WGEA prioritises the security of your data and implements strict measures to protect it.

• All data provided to WGEA for reporting is securely stored in the WGEA Portal.
• Access to the WGEA Employer Portal is protected through Digital Identity verification services, such as myID. For further information, please refer to https://www.myid.gov.au/.
• Remuneration data is stored securely within WGEA’s IT systems, in a secure, cloud based data warehouse managed exclusively by WGEA's data support teams, with restricted access.

To prevent misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure, WGEA employs multiple protective measures, including:

• Password-protected IT systems
• Access tracking
• Locked filing cabinets for physical documents
• Restricted physical access to offices.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information collected and stored is:

• Accurate
• Relevant
• Up-to-date
• Complete
• Not misleading.

Employers primarily enter data directly into the secure Employer Portal during the annual Gender Equality Reporting Program. Information received by email is manually transferred into the database, while data provided by phone is confirmed in writing through established business processes.

Data retention and disposal 

When personal information is no longer needed, WGEA ensures it is:

• Securely destroyed or deleted, or
• Transferred to the National Archives of Australia (NAA) in accordance with our obligations under the Archives Act 1983.

Information shared with relevant employers

After all reporting data has been lodged for a reporting period, WGEA conducts detailed analysis and produces reports to help employers understand, track and compare their progress towards workplace gender equality.

WGEA distinguishes between public and confidential data. Data classified as confidential under the WGE Act is not published.

Public data

Public data includes the data and information provided in each component of your report, with the following exceptions:

• personal or identifiable information about individual employees
• sensitive information
• salary or remuneration data of individual employees (unless prior consent is given)
• data/information that is subject to the confidentiality provisions under the WGE Act

After reporting, employers receive two Public Report PDF documents that require CEO (or equivalent) review and approval. These documents must be shared with certain stakeholders to meet Notification and Access requirements. 

WGEA only publishes public data via the Data Explorer.

Confidential data

After the dataset for the reporting year has been finalised, WGEA provides confidential documents to relevant employers. These documents are intended for internal use and are not published by WGEA:

• Executive Summary - this document outlines the gender pay gap information from the employer’s submission which will be published by WGEA.
• Industry Benchmark Report –  this document compares your salary and remuneration data to your industry comparison groups. It is designed as a powerful business tool for you to track your gender pay gap performance.

WGEA uses public data in several ways, including publishing it in our:

• Data Explorer

  • Your public data is published in WGEA’s online Data Explorer, an interactive platform that allows users to explore data from individual organisations and view aggregated results. It supports comparisons and across industries and tracks performance over time.

• National scorecard

  • Each year, WGEA publishes a Gender Equality Scorecard (check our publications for the most recent Scorecard published), which highlights key findings from aggregated public reporting data. This summarises data from the latest reporting year and identifies national year-on-year trends.

Confidentiality of remuneration data

Remuneration-related data provided to WGEA is treated as confidential. WGEA will only disclose employer-specific remuneration data publicly if:

• it is presented in aggregated form
• the employer has provided written consent
• the data does not identify, directly or indirectly, any individual.

This confidentiality obligation is outlined in WGEA’s Privacy Policy and goes beyond the requirements of Section 14 of the WGE Act.

Sharing de-identified data

WGEA may share de-identified with research institutions for academic and policy, and other government agencies for use in performing their relevant functions.

For further information on how WGEA will share information provided to it by relevant employers, refer to Protocol on sharing reporting data and WGEA’s Data Management Policies.