WGEA’s New Gender Equality Target Requirements

Feb 25

From April 2026, accountability for gender equality in Australian workplaces is stepping up. Under changes introduced by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), large employers will be required not just to report on their data but to formally set and commit to measurable gender equality targets.

These reforms were introduced through amendments to the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, strengthening the focus on transparency and measurable progress.

For organisations with 500 or more employees, this marks a shift from observation to action. The question is no longer whether gender equality is being measured. It is whether meaningful, intentional progress is being made.

What is Changing

From April 2026, Australian employers with 500 or more employees must move beyond reporting outcomes, formally set gender equality targets and lock in accountability for progress.

WGEA has outlined these reforms under its Gender Equality Targets framework.

As WGEA puts it, the reform is about locking in accountability for doing something about gender equality. This is not additional reporting. It is about meaningfully and purposefully intervening to create gender-equal experiences within your organisation.

The Timeline

Employers covered by the legislation must select their targets during the WGEA reporting period from 1 April to 31 May 2026.

Official reporting guidance is available via the WGEA reporting portal here.

Once selected, organisations must choose three targets.

At least one must be numerical.
Targets cannot be changed or abandoned once selected.
They are locked in for three years.
Early preparation is critical to ensure successful implementation.

Gender Equality Targets

WGEA’s menu includes 19 target options, spanning both numeric and action-based measures. A full breakdown of available targets can be accessed here.

Numeric Targets

Examples include:

increased representation of non-managers,
increased representation of managers,
increased representation in promotions to manager,
increased representation by pay quartile,
composition of the governing body,
reducing the gender pay gap,
reducing the gender pay gap for managers or non-managers,
increasing uptake of primary parental leave by the underrepresented gender and the proportion of managers who are part-time.

Action-Based Targets

Examples include:

undertaking gender pay gap analysis,
implementing equal remuneration and gender pay equity policies,
introducing employer-funded parental leave,
improving employer-funded parental leave,
improving facilities or support for employees with caring responsibilities,
improving flexible work offerings,
improving support for employees experiencing family and domestic violence,
conducting employee consultation on gender equality issues,
improving policies for preventing,
reporting and responding to sexual harassment and implementing mechanisms for reporting on sexual harassment to the CEO, key management personnel and the governing body.

How Leaders Should Choose the Right Targets

A best practice approach includes:

striking the balance between ambition and realism,
conducting a diagnostic across workforce composition,
pay equity,
recruitment,
promotion rates and retention data,
reviewing three to five-year trends to see what has worked and what has not and looking beyond the data to understand where gender is showing up in lived experience.

The goal is to focus on interventions that will have the greatest impact. Organisations may also benefit from reviewing broader governance expectations set by the Australian Securities Exchange Corporate Governance Principles.

What Happens if You Miss the Target

Legislation requires organisations to either meet their targets or make meaningful progress within three years.

Organisations will not be automatically non-compliant if they do not meet exact numerical targets. Even a 1 percent shift may still constitute meaningful progress depending on context. Numeric targets allow for incremental movement while action-based targets require implementation. Reasonable excuses such as mergers or acquisitions disrupting operations may be considered.

Without a reasonable excuse, organisations risk being publicly named by WGEA which could impact reputation and stakeholder confidence.

Will Your Information Be Made Public?

Yes. Your selected targets will appear in WGEA’s public Data Explorer alongside your gender pay gap results

After the three-year target period, progress updates will also be visible. Stakeholders will be able to see the pay gap as a snapshot and your targets as an indication of strategy and intent. Transparency is built into the framework.

Aligning With Existing Strategy

The good news is that for many organisations, this formalises work already underway.

Rather than creating entirely new initiatives, this reform supports aligning your existing strategy to three of the WGEA targets, protecting current momentum and embedding stronger accountability structures.

How Leaders Should Position This

WGEA is not a compliance exercise. It is an enterprise governance issue.

Boards and executives should meet early to define which outcomes matter most, clarify acceptable trade-offs and agree on what meaningful progress looks like over three years. When positioned strategically, this reform can build credibility, influence and trust.

The Role of HR and Leaders

HR and senior leaders must equip line managers with practical tools to support progress, build gender literacy across the organisation, translate targets into everyday decision-making and reduce fear around formal accountability.

Targets alone do not drive change. Leadership behaviours do.

Final Thoughts

The legislation is asking organisations to intervene intentionally, act purposefully and take responsibility for gender-equal experiences.

The question for leaders is not “Do we have to do this?” The question is “How can we use this to build a stronger, fairer organisation?”

How FiveSeven Consulting Can Support Your WGEA Journey

Navigating the new WGEA target requirements requires more than selecting three items from a list.

We partner with organisations to conduct comprehensive workforce and pay equity diagnostics, identify and prioritise the right targets for your context, align WGEA obligations with your existing strategy, equip leaders and managers with the practical tools they need. We ensure you are prepared for public transparency with confidence.

With the April 2026 reporting cycle approaching, now is the time to begin. Contact FiveSeven Consulting to ensure your WGEA strategy is not only compliant, but commercially and culturally impactful.