Gender composition of all levels of the workforce
Progress: Yes
Progress description: Since 2021, the proportion of women in DTF's workforce decreased by 2 per cent from 51 per cent to 49 per cent in 2023. The percentage of DTF People Matter Survey (PMS) respondents who identify as trans, non-binary or gender diverse increased from 0 per cent in 2021 to 1 per cent in 2023.
DTF has improved the gender composition across all VPS classifications. In 2021 women were overrepresented in lower classifications and underrepresented in more senior levels of the organisation. The 2023 audit results indicate that the severity of this gender imbalance across DTF's VPS workforce has reduced; women's overrepresentation in the VPSG3-4 classifications declined from 63 per cent to 55 per cent, an equal balance of the genders at the VPSG5 classification was maintained, and women's representation increased at VPSG6 from 43 per cent in 2021 to 48 per cent in 2023.
Women's representation in the SES-1 and Senior Technical Specialist (STS) classifications (level -3) has improved from 38 per cent to 40 per cent. The proportion of women decreased in the SES-2 (56 per cent to 50 per cent) and SES-3 classifications (43 per cent to 33 per cent).
The overall gender balance of executives at DTF remains unchanged at 44 per cent women in 2021 and 2023. Improvements in women's representation at senior VPS levels (VPSG5-6) provides DTF a growing talent pool of women to improve gender composition across its executive cohort in coming years.
While the proportion of men working part-time increased from 19 per cent to 20 per cent, the proportion of women working full-time decreased by 2 per cent from 47 per cent in 2021 to 45 per cent, which was likely driven by the overall decrease of women's representation by 2 per cent. These changes coincided with an overall decrease in the number of employees working part-time, who represented 13 per cent of the workforce in 2021 and 11 per cent of the workforce in 2023.
Gender composition of governing bodies
Progress: No
Progress description: The gender composition of DTF's governing body, the DTF Board, changed from 43 per cent women in 2021 to 40 per cent women in 2023.
Equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value across all levels of the workforce, irrespective of gender
Progress: Yes
Progress description: DTF achieved progress in its overall base and total remuneration pay gaps. While the results are generally similar between median and mean in the 2023 audit results, median has been used for the purposes of this analysis.
DTF's median base salary pay gap decreased from 9.9 per cent in 2021 to 6.1 per cent or $7,908 in 2023, representing an improvement of 3.8 per cent. The median total remuneration pay gap also decreased from 11 per cent in 2021 to 6.4 per cent or $9,265 in 2021. In other terms, according to median total remuneration paid, for each $100 paid to a man, $89 was paid to a woman in 2021, compared to $94 in 2023.
DTF's progress has been supported by improvement of pay gaps across VPSG2-4 which are 0 per cent in 2023, as well as a widening of pay gaps in bias toward women at VPSG5 from 0.7 per cent in 2021 to -0.9 per cent in 2023 and at STS and SES-1 from -1.7 per cent to -2.3 per cent. While widening pay gaps are not preferred, they have nonetheless contributed to DTF’s overall pay gap progress.
Widening pay gaps
The median total remuneration pay gap widened in bias toward men for VPSG6 (1.6 per cent to 2.5 per cent), SES-2 (-3.1 per cent to 3.2 per cent) and SES-3 (-1.6 per cent to 4.8 per cent). These three classifications have the highest median pay gaps for both base salary and total remuneration.
The shift in the SES-2 pay gap arose due to departures, both voluntary and involuntary (e.g. Machinery of Government Change), of a number of highly paid women at the SES-2 level since 2021.
Sexual harassment in the workplace
Progress: No
Progress description: In both 2021 and 2023 DTF received a low number of formal sexual harassment complaints, with two complaints recorded in 2021 and one complaint recorded in 2023.
Formal sexual harassment complainants represent less than one per cent of the total workforce. Anonymous reports of sexual harassment are higher, with 2 per cent of men and 5 per cent of women in the 2023 PMS reporting they experienced sexual harassment behaviour in the workplace, compared to 2 per cent of men and 4 per cent of women in 2021.
DTF's PMS results indicate improvement in some aspects of preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and a lack of progress in others.
The percentage of respondents who agreed they feel safe to challenge inappropriate behaviour at work increased from 82 per cent to 85 per cent for men and from 74 per cent to 82 per cent for women. While this improvement was observed, the percentage of women who agreed that DTF encourages respectful workplace behaviour decreased from 92 per cent in 2021 to 88 per cent in 2023. The proportion of women who agreed that DTF takes steps to eliminate bullying, harassment and discrimination also decreased from 80 per cent in 2021 to 71 per cent in 2023. The proportion of men who agreed to these statements remained relatively unchanged between 2021 and 2023.
The overall rate of men and women who indicated they did not experience any negative behaviours in the workplace remained relatively unchanged, with 98 per cent of men in both years indicating they didn't experience negative behaviours in the workplace, compared to 96 per cent of women in 2021 and 95 per cent in 2023. In both 2021 and 2023, 95 per cent of men and 90 per cent of women indicated they did not witness bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, violence, or aggression against a colleague.
While these figures indicate most men and women did not experience or witness negative behaviours, the results differ between the genders, with women both experiencing and witnessing negative behaviours at a slightly higher rate than men.
Recruitment and promotion practices in the workplace
Progress: Yes
Progress description:
Recruitment
In both 2021 and 2023, the gender composition of recruitment was relatively balanced at 52 per cent women in 2021 and 49 per cent women in 2023. 1 per cent of recruitments in 2023 were also self-identifying.
Just under half (42 per cent) of recruitments were to senior VPS position (VPSG5-6). The proportion of women recruited into senior VPS roles improved from 2021 to 2023, with 51 per cent women recruited into VPSG6 compared to 46 per cent in 2021, and 49 per cent women recruited into VPS5 roles in 2023 compared to 52 per cent in 2021. The overall balance for VSPG5-6 recruitment was 50 per cent men and women, a slight improvement from 49 per cent women in 2021.
The greatest imbalances in recruitment were at lower VPS classifications, which represents over half (54 per cent) of all recruitment for the reporting period. The proportion of women recruited into VPSG2 and VPSG3-4 was 58 per cent and 55 per cent respectively in 2021. Less than half of recruitments were women across both levels in 2023, with women comprising 46 per cent of VPSG2 and 47 per cent of VPSG3-4 recruitments. These imbalances have however contributed to progress in rebalancing the gender composition at both levels, demonstrated by the decreasing overrepresentation of women in the VPSG2-4 classification range.
Executive and STS recruitment represented 4 per cent of all recruitment. At the SES-1 and STS level 71 per cent of 2023 recruitments were women. 63 per cent of SES-1 recruitments were women. Although this shows an imbalance of recruitment at this level, a higher proportion of women being appointment to SES-1 roles will be necessary to support the overall improvement of gender composition in the DTF Executive cohort. SES-2 recruitment was balanced at 50 per cent between men and women, comprised of two appointments.
Promotions
DTF improved the gender balance of promotions, with women securing 42 per cent of promotions in 2021 and 49 per cent in 2023. PMS results support these results. Perceptions of equality in promotions improved and equalised between the genders; in 2021 45 per cent of women and 53 per cent of men agreed they have an equal chance at promotion in DTF and in 2023 67 per cent of women and 68 per cent of men agreed with this statement.
This improvement was supported by a greater balance in promotions across the VPSG3-5 classifications, which represent 72 per cent of promotions. 52 per cent of VPSG3-4 promotions were secured by women in 2023, consistent with 2021 results. Half of VPSG5 promotions were women in 2023, representing an improvement of 10 per cent from 2021 (40 per cent).
Although DTF improved the proportion of women recruited to senior VPS roles in 2023, the proportion of women promoted to VPSG6 roles decreased from 44 per cent in 2021 to 32 per cent in 2023. Within the VPS5 classification, 52 per cent of higher duties assignees were women and 61 per cent of VPSG5 employees who undertook career development training were also women. While VPSG5 women were overrepresented in higher duties opportunities and career developing training, they were underrepresented in permanent promotions to the VPSG6 classification.
At the SES-1 and STS level, 38 per cent of internal promotion in 2023 were women, which is an improvement from 25 per cent in 2021. Excluding STS appointments, women were awarded 43 per cent of promotions to SES-1. Women secured all three promotions (100 per cent) to the SES-2 band over the reporting period. Overrepresentation of women in SES-2 promotions supports maintenance and eventual improvement in the gender composition within this classification and the overall Senior Executive cohort.
Availability and utilisation of terms, conditions, and practices relating to family violence leave, flexible working arrangements, and working arrangements supporting employees with family or caring responsibilities
Progress: Yes
Progress description:
Family violence
DTF does not collect family violence leave data. 81 per cent of men and 89 per cent of women in 2021 agreed that DTF would support them if they needed to take family violence leave, which improved to 90 per cent of men and 91 per cent of women in 2023.
Flexible work
In 2021, 9 per cent of the department had a formal flexible work arrangement in place, 81 per cent of whom were women. Total uptake of flexible work arrangements increased with 45 per cent of the department having a plan in place in 2023, 55 per cent of whom are women. However, excluding working remotely flexible work arrangements, which is the most common (59 per cent) flexible work option used, women comprise 70 per cent of flexible work agreements. This imbalance is driven by women comprising the majority of employees working part-time flexible (81 per cent).
PMS results indicate DTF employees have greater confidence their requests for flexible arrangements would be given due consideration; in 2021 86 per cent of women and 88 per cent of men agreed their requests would be given due consideration which has increased to 93 per cent for women and 90 per cent for men in 2023.
Flexible work arrangements were taken up evenly between the genders among senior leaders in 2023. Similar to department wide results, women comprise 75 per cent of flexible workers when remote working arrangements are excluded, driven by women comprising 90 per cent of senior leaders working part-time flexibly.
Parental and carers leave
Six per cent of employees used paid or unpaid parental leave during the reporting period. Of those employees who used parental leave 48 per cent were men and 52 per cent were women. The average total absence for those men was 6.1 weeks compared to 27.5 weeks for women, which is lower for both men (8.9 weeks) and women (42.7 weeks) to 2021.
Of the employees in 2023 who took carers leave, 49 per cent were men and 51 per cent were women. This represents an improvement from 2021 where women comprised 56 per cent of employees who used carers leave.
Gendered segregation within the workplace
Progress: Yes
Progress description: Gender composition across DTF’s three main occupational categories remained relatively unchanged since 2021, which includes professionals (75 per cent), managers (15 per cent) and clerical and administrative workers (10 per cent).
In 2023, women comprised 45 per cent of managers, 48 per cent of professionals and 64 per cent of clerical and administration workers. Between 2021 and 2023 the proportion of women in manager roles did not change, while the proportion of women in professional roles and clerical and administrative roles increased by 1 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.
DTF has allocated managerial occupation codes to STS and SES employees only, so the underrepresentation of women in managerial positions largely reflects the gender balance of Executives at DTF.
Although the professionals occupation category is relatively balanced (48 per cent women), women are underrepresented the economists occupation, comprising 41 per cent of a cohort of 121 economist employees. Women are overrepresented in clerical and administrative workers due to women occupying all executive assistant and support roles in the department.
Results for gender segregation in the PMS improved from 2021 to 2023 for both genders, with 90 per cent of men and 88 per cent of women feeling culturally safe in 2021 compared to 95 per cent of men and 91 per cent of women in 2023. Similar improvements were observed across other gender segregation related questions, such as perceptions of fairness in allocating work regardless of gender.
Overall, while employee experience data indicates an improvement in gender segregation experience among DTF employees, actual occupational segregation requires continued efforts to achieve progress.
Updated