The questionnaire is one of three sections of the report you will lodge to the Agency. It is an online survey about your organisation’s policies, strategies, and actions on gender equality.
Specifically, the questionnaire covers:
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Policies and strategies
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Governing bodies
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Gender pay gaps
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Employee consultation
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Flexible working
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Paid parental leave
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Support for carers
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Sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination
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Family or domestic violence
Questionnaire overview
Online Questionnaire
The questionnaire is in an online survey format, completed in the Employer Portal. Responses are entered directly into the online questionnaire.
The questionnaire is divided into sections. When all sections are marked as ‘done’ the questionnaire will have a status of ‘completed’.
Each section asks if your organisation has formal policies and/or strategies related to workplace gender equality. If you indicate that your organisation has a particular policy/ strategy, you will often be asked to indicate whether this is a policy, a strategy or both. So, it is important to understand the difference.
Important note: If your organisation has 500 or more employees, you must have a formal policy or strategy in particular areas. This requirement is known as Gender Equality Standards.
What is a policy and strategy?
| What it is | What it includes | What it is not | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy |
The guidelines, rules and procedures developed by an organisation to govern its actions (often in recurring situations).
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Policies include applying gender equality principles and practices to:
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An informal:
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| Strategy |
A plan of action designed to achieve one or more of the organisation’s objectives. A strategy fills the gap between “where we are” and “where we want to be”, that is, “how are we going to get there?”
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Strategies generally include:
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| Formal policy or strategy |
A written document approved by human resources or management. |
It may be:
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Changes to the Questionnaire
We have made a few changes to improve data collection and streamline questions for employers. Details can be found in the Reporting Guide Reporting changes 2024-25
How to prepare
To assist employers to prepare, you can download an offline Word version of the questionnaire from the Reporting Guide Preparing to report section, to share with colleagues and collate responses.
Please note: The offline Word template cannot be uploaded into portal. Your responses will still need to be entered directly into the online questionnaire.
Response period
Questionnaire responses relate to the 12-month reporting period, 1 April to 31 March only. E.g. for the 2024-25 reporting period, the reporting period is 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Only provide responses based on what was in place in your workplace during the 12- month reporting period (1 April to 31 March).
Do not include anything that was implemented in your workplace after 31 March (the last day of the reporting period). Actions implemented after 31 March can be included in the following year’s report.
Response options
These are typically in a ‘tick a box’ or ‘yes/no’ format, with optional ‘free-text’ boxes throughout for additional information. You must complete all four sections of the questionnaire and all mandatory questions as indicated.
Please read and answer each question carefully.
Further information is provided throughout the questionnaire to help you understand key concepts and accurately answer each question.
Pre-populated responses
If you have reported previously, some questions will be pre-populated with responses from the previous reporting period.
You will need to:
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Review your pre-populated responses to ensure these are still accurate.
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Update your pre-populated responses if needed.
The following sections of the questionnaire contain pre-populated responses:
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Policies and strategies
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Flexible working
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Support for carers
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Sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination
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Family or domestic violence.
Sections in the Questionnaire
Workplace overview
This section focuses on organisation-wide measures that are in place to support gender equality and includes questions on your policies and strategies.
- You will be asked to indicate whether your organisation has a ‘policy’ and/or a ‘strategy’ in place that supports gender equality in each of eight key areas, as well as overall.
Governing bodies
Governing bodies are the group of people who endorse policy and direct and oversee the conduct of an organisation supported by the organisation’s managers. The core role of a governing body is the governance of an organisation.
Governing bodies:
- include boards or management committees of not-for-profit organisations (even if the position is voluntary)
- include boards or management committees of incorporated associations
- are not a sub-committee of a board, for example, are not a diversity council or committee or diversity and inclusion team.
Some organisations have common types of governing bodies. For the following types of entities, the following types of governing bodies are commonly used:
- private or public companies – the directors together or a board of directors
- trusts – board or management committee of the corporate trustee
- incorporated associations – the board or management committee
- partnerships – if there is a partnership board, partnership management committee or similar, the persons appointed to that board, committee or similar which may include some or all partners. Otherwise, all partners.
- religious structures – a council, board, management committee or a canonical advisor, bishop or archbishop
- any other structure –the management committee.
Some wholly owned subsidiaries have the same governing body as the parent organisation.
You will be asked to specify the type of governing body your organisation has:
- Board of directors
- Board/committee of partners
- Board of Trustees
- Management committee
- Council
- Other governing body/authority.
It is important to note that governing bodies are not:
- a diversity council or committee
- a global diversity and inclusion team.
You’ll also be asked to specify the gender of the Chair and other members, and the existence of a formal selection policy and/or strategy, and whether a target has been set for the representation of women.
- You must indicate a governing body for every ABN reported
If the ABN itself does not have a governing body, it will fall under the parent or group governing body.
How to answer the governing body section
- For standalone (single ABN) employers - report the governing body details for the company on this submission.
For corporate groups (one of more ABNs) - you must allocate a governing body response for each ABN being reported.
One submission covering an entire corporate group
- If there is one governing body for all ABNs on the submission - check the box against each ABN and provide the governing body information.
- If there is more than one governing body for the ABNs on the submission - complete the first governing body and allocate the companies covered, then complete the next body entry.
- All ABNs on the submission must eventually be covered.
Please note: the section displays the governing body for each ABN when complete and is not duplicated for each ABN it was allocated against.
More than one submission covering an entire corporate group
- If one governing body is reported in more than one submission - ensure that any additional submissions that use the governing body information check the box 'this governing body was reported in another submission group'.
- This ensures that if the same body is reported in two different submissions that it will only be counted once in the dataset.
Action on gender equality
This section focuses on the actions an employer has taken to address gender equality issues.
It includes questions on the following topics:
- Gender pay gaps
- Employee consultation
- Confirming compliance with annual reporting notification and access requirements
Equal remuneration between women and men
This section focuses on the policies employees have or the actions they have taken to ensure people performing work of equal or comparable value are paid equitably.
- Formal policies or strategies on equal remuneration
- Conducting an analysis if there are remuneration gaps between women and men, including:
- Type of analysis conducted
- How recent the analysis was conducted
- Any actions taken as a result of the analysis
Employee consultation
Employee consultation is a formalised way to collect information about your employees’ views on the workplace, what is working well and what could be improved. This section asks if you have consulted your employees about gender equality issues in the workplace during the reporting period, and any actions taken.
- If you have consulted with employees on issues concerning gender equality
- How you consulted and which employees were consulted
- Existence of a policy or strategy for consulting with employees
Flexible work
This section focuses on the measures an employer has in place to support a gender equitable work-life balance.
Flexible working
This section focuses on the flexible work arrangements an employer makes available, including any formal policies and strategies as well as specific flexible working options that are available. You can read more in-depth information about flexible work on the WGEA website.
A formal flexible work arrangement is an agreement between an employer and an employee to change the standard working arrangement to accommodate an employee’s commitments outside of work. Workplace flexibility is about more than "working from home" and it is not just for office workers. It can encompass a range of changes to the hours, pattern and location of work.
| Type |
Description |
|---|---|
| Flexible hours of work |
Varied start and finish times. |
| Compressed working weeks |
Working the same number of weekly (or fortnightly or monthly) working hours, but over a shorter period. For example, a forty-hour week may be worked at the rate of ten hours per day for four days instead of eight hours a day for five days. Changes to salary are not required. |
| Time-in-lieu |
You may work approved overtime and be compensated by time-in-lieu. It can include ‘flexitime’ arrangements where an employee can work extra time over several days or weeks and then reclaim those hours as time off. |
| Hybrid working |
Working regular days from home and in the office. |
| Working fully remote |
No regular days worked in the office. A wide range of terms refer to working at different locations, including ‘working from home’ ‘mobile working’, ‘distributed work’, ‘virtual teams’ and ‘telework’. |
| Reduced hours or part-time work |
A regular work pattern where you work less than full-time and are paid on a pro-rata basis for that work. Not all part-time work is necessarily flexible in nature, but it offers flexibility to workers who have other commitments or lifestyle choices that are not compatible with full-time work. |
| Job sharing |
A full-time job role is divided into multiple job roles to be undertaken by two or more employees who are paid on a pro-rata basis for the part of the job each completes. |
| Purchased leave |
The option for employees to purchase additional annual leave, usually available after annual leave allocation is finished. Employers typically deduct the amount of the purchased leave from the worker’s salary either as a lump sum or averaged over the year. |
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Flexible scheduling, rostering or switching shifts |
Flexibility for employees to change rosters and shifts |
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Unpaid leave |
Taking leave without pay entitlements |
Employee support for parents and carers
This section focuses on the measures an employer has in place to ensure women and men are supported in relation to common gendered issues. It includes questions on the following topics.
Paid parental leave
Parental leave policies are designed to support and protect working parents around the time of childbirth or adoption of a child and when children are young.
This section focuses on whether employer-funded paid parental leave is available to carers in your organisation (in addition to the Australian Government’s paid parental leave (PPL) scheme), and if it is, which employees have access to it and how much leave is available.
Employer-funded paid parental leave is typically outlined in an applicable employment award, agreement, contract or workplace policy. Entitlements may be the same for all eligible employees or may be different for some parents than others, depending on a categorisation of ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ carer, with secondary carers typically receiving a shorter duration of paid leave from the employer than the primary carer. Exact definitions of these terms may vary between employers or across workplace awards, agreements or contracts.
For WGEA reporting you will be asked about your employer-funded paid parental leave using the following three categories:
Equally shared parental leave policies offer the same type, length and conditions to employees of all genders, who require parental leave, with no distinction between primary and secondary carers.
- If your organisation offers this - you should answer this question with ‘yes, we offer employer- funded parental leave to all genders without using the primary/secondary carer definitions.
A primary carer is often described as the person who most meets the child’s physical care and needs, including feeding, dressing bathing and otherwise supervising the child on a daily basis.
A secondary carer may be the current partner of the primary carer, the other legal parent of the child or the current partner of the other legal parent of the child.
- If your organisation provides parental leave based on this/these definition/s – you should answer this question with ‘yes, we offer employer funded parental leave (using the primary/secondary carer definitions)’. If your organisation specifically provides maternity leave and/or paternity leave, you should also answer ‘yes, we offer employer funded parental leave (using the primary/secondary carer definitions)’
You will also be asked whether your employer-funded paid parental leave:
- covers birth, adoption, surrogacy, stillbirth and/or fostering
- pays the employee’s full salary, the gap between the salary and the government-funded scheme, other.
- additional details for how this is paid can be provided in an ‘other’ free text response.
- includes superannuation contributions.
You will also be asked to identify:
- the number of weeks offered to employees where employees can access the same number of weeks or
- the lowest and the highest number of weeks of leave provided—where you provide different leave packages to different groups of employees. E.g. based on service time, occupation or worksite and/or what is stated in an applicable employment.
- who has access to the employer-funded PPL - permanent, contract/fixed term, casual and other employees.
- the qualifying period, if any, to access employer-funded PPL – this relates to the period that employees had to work for the organisation before they could access employer funded parental leave.
- if you provide different leave packages to different groups of employees, you should report what the requirement, if any, is for the majority of employees.
- are employees required to take employer-funded paid parental leave within a certain time after the birth, adoption, surrogacy, stillbirth and/or fostering of a child.
- if you provide different leave packages to different groups of employees, you should report what the requirement, if any, is for the majority of employees.
You can provide further detail about your scheme in the free text box at the bottom of this section. Information added to the free text box will appear in your reporting documents.
WGEA has developed information and guides for employers on developing gender equitable parental leave and a leading practice parental leave policy.
Support for carers
This section is about how an employer supports employees with family or caring responsibilities. If measures to support carers are not available to your employees, you will have the opportunity to indicate why.
A carer refers to, but is not limited to, an employee’s role as the parent (biological, step, adoptive or foster) or guardian of a child, or carer of a child, parent, spouse or domestic partner, close relative, or other dependent or friend.
The questionnaire covers the following areas:
- existence of a formal policy or strategy to support employees with family or caring responsibilities
- inclusions in the formal policy or strategy
- support mechanisms offered to employees
Harm prevention
Sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination
This section asks about the measures an employer has in place related to sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination, including: formal policies/strategies, training, leadership culture, risk management, employee supports, grievance processes, data collection and reporting to the governing body and executive
For this section of the questionnaire, when we refer to sexual harassment we mean sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination.
- Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual conduct which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated where that reaction is reasonable in the circumstances. Sexual harassment can take various forms.
- Harassment on the ground of sex is when a person engages in unwelcome conduct of a demeaning nature of another person by reason of their sex or a characteristic that generally relates to or is attributed to their sex. This also takes into account circumstances relating to an individual’s sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, marital or relationship status.
- Discrimination happens when a person is treated less favourably, in circumstances that are the same or are not materially different, than a person of a different sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or on the ground of the person’s intersex status, marital or relationship status, pregnancy or potential pregnancy, breastfeeding, or family responsibilities.
The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person on the basis of gender identity, intersex status, sexual orientation, marital or relationship status, family responsibilities, pregnancy or potential pregnancy or breastfeeding. It also prohibits sexual harassment in many areas of public life including all work-related activity. Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 it is also unlawful for a person to subject another person to a workplace environment that is hostile on the ground of sex.
The Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Act 2022, an amendment to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986, created a positive duty requiring employers to implement measures to prevent sexual harassment, hostile work environments and victimisation. This is in addition to the duty of care employers have under WHS legislation to provide a safe workplace and to eliminate and minimise identified risks to health and safety.
- More information about harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination can also be found at the Australian Human Rights Commission website.
- For more information, refer to Safework Australia or your State or Territory Work Health and Safety regulatory body.
Disclaimer - This section is not an exhaustive description of, or advice regarding the legal obligations attaching to employers. Employers are responsible for understanding the scope of rights and obligations attaching to employees and the workplace.
Family and domestic violence
Family and domestic violence generally refers to violent, abusive or intimidating behaviour from a partner, carer or family member to coerce, control, dominate or instil fear. It can be physical, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual or another type of abuse.
This section asks how an employer supports employees experiencing family and domestic violence, including through formal policies and strategies, support mechanisms and leave. If measures to support employees experiencing family or domestic violence are not available in your organisation, you will have the opportunity to indicate why.
The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) provides minimum entitlements to employees experiencing family and domestic violence. Under the Act, employees can:
- request flexible working arrangements
- access paid family domestic violence leave.
- access paid or unpaid personal/ carers leave in some circumstances.
For further information and resources visit Family and domestic violence leave - Fair Work Ombudsman