Who we regulate
The Gender Equality Act applies to certain public sector organisations with 50 or more employees. Currently, there are around 300 duty holders, making up 12% of the Victorian workforce.
What we regulate
The Commissioner regulates duty holders (Victorian public sector, local councils and universities) to:
- take action towards achieving workplace gender equality
- consider and promote gender equity in their policies, programs and services.
We support duty holders to understand their obligations and voluntarily comply with them.
Regulatory approach
We use guidance, education, and deterrence to motivate action and improve gender equality.
We apply a risk-based approach to prioritising and directing effort to where it will make the biggest difference.
We strive to be a consistent, responsive and trusted regulator that acts proportionately.
We will use the full range of regulatory tools available to encourage voluntary compliance and reduce the harm caused by gender inequality.
Tools include providing guidance and advice, data analysis, compliance monitoring and reporting.
These principles inform our regulatory approach:
- Effective
- Proportional
- Accountable
- Inclusive
- Fair
To read more about our regulatory approach, download the document:
Compliance priorities
When assessing 2026 progress reports, the Commissioner will target 3 priority areas:
- sexual harassment
- gender pay gap
- gender impact assessments (GIAs)
These three areas cause the most significant and persistent gendered harms. They also offer the greatest opportunity for meaningful systemic change.
Duty holders vary significantly in size, function, and resourcing. Each is at a different point in its progress towards gender equality. The Commissioner will focus her regulatory powers on duty holders that:
- did not demonstrate compliance on sexual harassment, gender pay gaps, and/or GIAs in both their 2024 and 2026 progress reports
- employ large workforces
- have high public impact or deliver essential public services (such as, but not limited to, those related to health and safety)
- operate in sectors where gender inequality or gendered harms are well-documented or high-risk.
For more details read the Commissioner statement on 2026 compliance priorities and actions(opens in a new window).
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