Advice for local government

Targeted advice to support local councils to comply with the Gender Equality Act.

Local government

Local councils play a critical role in communities across Victoria. Councils employ nearly 45,000 Victorians and deliver essential services that we use every day. That’s why it’s so important that councils work to progress gender equality in their workplaces and the community.

We know the new obligations under the Gender Equality Act 2020 add to a range of existing planning and reporting obligations for councils. We also know that councils have a unique operating context.

Here are some key things for local councils to consider.

Implementation pilots with local councils

Before publishing guidance materials for gender impact assessments and workplace gender audits, we conducted a pilot program with 10 local councils. This was to test draft guidance materials to help us understand specific issues faced by local councils in implementing the Act.

A summary of the key strategic issues identified through the pilot is available for download at the link below. The report is current as of September 2020.

We recognise the importance of ensuring local councils receive the right support to comply with the Act. So, we've implemented many of the recommendations included in this report. The Commission is still considering some recommendations as part of the implementing the Act.

Because we prepared the report in September 2020, some of the information is now outdated. Refer to our home page for the most up to date guidance for all defined entities, including local councils.

Local Government Implementation Pilots Summary Report - Sept 2020
PDF 221.2 KB
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ANZSCO guidance for local councils

This guidance is being provided to help local councils identify the most appropriate ANZSCO codes for the various roles they may have within their workforce. Using the ANZSCO code system will help councils understand gendered segregation in their workplaces as well as collect necessary data for their workplace gender audits.

ANZSCO Guidance for local councils v1.1
Excel 303.19 KB
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Updated