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Gender Equality

Gender Equality is the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women, men and trans and gender-diverse people. Equality does not mean that women, men and trans and gender-diverse people will become the same but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on their gender.

Northeast Health Wangaratta (NHW) is a defined entity under the Gender Equality Act 2020 (the Act). This means we have legislated requirements to progress Gender Equality in our organisation.

The requirements under the Gender Equality Act 2020 for defined entities are:

Promote Gender Equality
NHW must take proactive action in promoting Gender Equality. You may see statements, campaigns or events that have the sole focus of promoting Gender Equality.

Conduct Gender Impact Assessments
Gender Impact Assessments look at all new or reviewed policies, programs and projects that have a direct and significant impact on the public, to ensure that any actions we take, do not contribute to gender inequality.

Undertake a Workplace Gender Audit
The Workplace Gender Audit takes a deep dive into the workforce data to review:

  • Gender of the workforce;
  • The type, frequency and pay of individual roles;
  • The use of parental leave;
  • The use of family violence leave;
  • Intersection of gender with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, age, disability, cultural identity, religion, sexual orientation; and
  • Many others.

Create a Gender Equality Action Plan
A Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) should showcase the commitment of an organization to improving gender equality through understanding current trends and experiences within the organization and then use the principles of gender equality to make attempt at genuine progress towards gender equality.

Download NHW’s Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-26.pdf

Report on Progress
Every two years we submit a progress plan to the Commission for Gender Equality.