Proposed Gender Equality Amendment Regulations 2023

Requirements under the proposed regulations

New regulations relating to these guidelines are being developed. The proposed regulations will prescribe the method and format for progress reports. If approved, the new regulations are expected to be in operation by late-2023. As such, the new regulations would apply to your progress report due on 20 February 2024.

If approved, the proposed regulations will:

• Require your progress report be submitted in the format approved by the Commissioner. Any format approved will be published on the Commissioner’s website. This means that you will be required to use the progress reporting templates published alongside these guidelines.
• Require you to demonstrate your progress in relation to the workplace gender equality indicators by collecting, comparing, and submitting workplace gender equality information to the Commissioner. For ease of referencing, these guidelines will refer to this method as your ‘progress audit.’

If the regulations are not approved

If the proposed regulations are not approved, the above-mentioned format and method will be recommended, but will not be required. Your organisation will still be required under the Act to demonstrate progress in relation to the workplace gender equality indicators in a progress report.

The Commissioner will recommend you follow the above-outlined method as it will make it easier for your organisation to demonstrate progress on the indicators, and for the Commissioner to determine whether your organisation has made reasonable and material progress (see the workplace gender equality indicators chapter for information about ‘reasonable and material progress’).

Refer to the regulations once published

Please note that the specific wording of the proposed regulations is subject to public consultation via Engage Victoria in the coming months.

The wording of the proposed regulations may be amended slightly as a result of the public consultation process and differ from the anticipated wording at the time of publication of these guidelines.The above information is therefore intended as a summary of the proposed obligations only.

You should refer directly to the specific wording of the final regulations once they are published and in force. In force regulations can be accessed via the Victorian legislation website.