Equality at Work in 2025: A Community Sector Reflection
For more than two decades, I worked at the intersection of gender and work. As CEO of the Queensland Working Women’s Service for 16 years, I led advocacy using frontline data to shape policy, appeared before industrial and human rights commissions, and supported countless women to pursue fairness and safety at work. Alongside this, I have partnered directly with employers to embed the systems and structures that foster equality. This long-standing commitment underpins my reflections on where we stand in 2025 and what community organisations- particularly those that rely on volunteers and trust-based cultures can do to meet contemporary expectations.
The equality baseline: transparency is rising, gaps remain
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s publication of employer gender pay gaps has shifted the debate from abstract fairness to accountability. Its 2023–24 data release revealed the mid-point of employer median pay gaps at 9.1%, making visible the scale of inequality and inviting boards, staff, and volunteers to push for change.
Sexual harassment and sex discrimination: the lived reality
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Time for Respect (2022) survey found that 1 in 3 workers experienced sexual harassment in the previous five years, with most not reporting it. Technology has introduced new risks: research shows 1 in 7 Australians admit to engaging in tech-based sexual harassment at work , highlighting the need for clear digital conduct standards in workplaces.
What’s changed in the law
The Respect@Work reforms introduced a positive duty for employers to prevent harassment, with the AHRC now monitoring compliance. The Fair Work Act also prohibits workplace sexual harassment and extends protections to volunteers and contractors, making cultural safety a governance issue for all community organisations.
Importantly, organisations can no longer rely on confidentiality agreements or indemnities to “make problems go away.” There is growing legal and public scrutiny of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that silence victims, and some settlements have attracted reputational criticism. Even where matters are resolved through conciliation, significant compensation is being awarded, and community organisations must also absorb the costs of legal advice, representation, and insurance premiums.
Practical Steps
Community organisations don’t need to reinvent the wheel ….but they do need to be deliberate. A practical starting point is:
Develop and implement Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures - in consultation with workers and compliant with WHS Obligations
Call things by name - spell out sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and hostile work cultures in your policies for staff and volunteers.
Set expectations clearly - create a simple Team Charter or Agreement (how we run meetings, give feedback, raise concerns). Make respect non-negotiable.
Support leaders and volunteers -give coordinators and board members practical tools (micro-skills like curiosity questions, early intervention, and trauma-informed responses).
Check the culture - use staff/volunteer surveys and retention data to spot problems early, and track complaints as lagging indicators.
Factor in the true cost -remember that poor handling of harassment complaints can result in settlement payouts, legal representation costs, and insurance excesses that drain scarce resources.
Community organisations are trusted because of their values. By aligning volunteer and workplace culture with contemporary expectations, they can both meet legal obligations and model the respect, equity, and dignity they want to see in the wider community. The cost of failing to do so ( reputationally, financially, and culturally) is too high.