This is your reminder to start preparing for WGEA's upcoming Q1, 2026 deadlines
On 3 March 2026, WGEA will publish more than 10,000 employer gender pay gaps — the largest release yet. For the first time, private and Commonwealth public sector data will be published together, providing insights into the workplace of 5 million Australians.
Then by 31 May 2026, every private and now Commonwealth public sector employer must select and submit their three mandatory gender equality targets.
Employers should already be preparing for these upcoming milestones, but we suspect the majority of employers will be scrambling at the last minute and likely miss the strategic opportunities that these milestones present.
Last year, we watched organisations of all sizes struggle. Some of Australia's largest companies failed to publish Employer Statements, leaving their pay gap data exposed to speculation and criticism. Others submitted cursory statements that barely scratched the surface. The result? Missed opportunities to demonstrate leadership, confused stakeholders, dismayed employees and the potential of reputational damage.
To make sure you don’t get caught on the back foot, here are five lessons learn from last year’s round of reporting to help you strategically approach these upcoming WGEA compliance milestones.
Strategically approaching WGEA reporting requirements – Lessons from 2025
Here's what we learned from working with clients through last year's release—and what you should be doing now. The WGEA reporting deadlines are not just about complying with law but are a regime designed to prompt employers to complete a process of reflection, learning, and employee engagement to identify the underlying drives of their gender pay gap and set tailored targets, guiding meaningful action.
In other words, looking at the requirements as whole and planning accordingly will allow employers to implement an evidence-based gender equality strategy, with built in monitoring of outcomes, and public accountability. Employers can strategically approach these requirements, setting themselves up for success, or can miss the mark, wasting time and resources, and losing public and employee trust.
The employers who set themselves up for success had these things in common. They started early and capitalised on the opportunity to reflect, learn and give context to their pay gap data, by:
1. Knowing their data
2. Listening to their people
3. Working cross-functionally
4. Publishing a well crafted Employer Statement
1. Know Your Data
Your data is the foundation of everything. Without a detailed understanding of your workplace data, you're flying blind—unable to identify the underlying causes of your gender pay gap or which gender equality targets will create real traction.
Start now:
Analyse your WGEA reporting data alongside other internal metrics on recruitment, promotion, rewards, retention, leave, and flexible work uptake.
Identify trends across previous years, problem hotspots and strengths, and prioritise areas for targeted action.
Data analysis isn't just a compliance exercise—it's taking the pulse of your organisation. Every client we've worked with has been grateful for the sometimes surprising but always helpful insights their data revealed, and more often than not, it's this analysis that enables genuine shifts in mindset and practice.
The reality
By the 3 March, WGEA will publish your gender pay gap, without or without further context. Start making sense of your data now so you can publish an Employer Statement.
By 31 May, you must select three targets from WGEA’s menu of gender equality targets that address the underlying, systemic drivers of your gender pay gap. You can't do that without knowing what those drivers are – and data analysis is your first step.
Leading employers will know their data and key insights and be ready to join the dots, selecting the specific targets that will address their underlying drivers. Ideally, these targets would feature in an Employer Statement to signal their commitment to gender equality and let stakeholders know their areas of focus for the next three years.
2. Listen to Your People—They'll tell you what your data can't
Data tells you what is happening. Your employees tell you why.
Yet fewer than 50% of employers have a gender equality consultation strategy in place.
Listening to your people brings your data to life and ensures you're not wasting time and money solving the wrong problem. It’s also one of best ways to build your employees’ trust and confidence. We've seen this play out repeatedly:
One client knew they needed more women applying for leadership roles. Their data showed the gap. But only through employee consultation did they discover the real barrier: women wouldn't apply until they saw existing leaders working part-time and flexibly— employees needed to see that leadership and caring responsibilities could coexist. Without that insight, their intervention would have missed the mark entirely.
Set up safe, effective listening processes now
Use anonymous surveys, focus groups, or employee network consultations.
Ask employees to identify the key drivers of your gender pay gap.
Seek input on what actions they'd like to see – your employees will be able to guide you towards selecting the right targets.
Ensure you're hearing from employees with diverse and intersectional experiences.
Don’t forget to communicate key insights back to employee and share your commitments to act—this builds trust and ensures higher engagement next time.
Hot tip - Employee consultation should feed directly into your Employer Statement and Gender Equality Strategy, but can also be one of your three gender equality targets.
3. Make This a Cross-Functional Priority—Not Just an HR Problem
You can't fix a company-wide problem from a single vantage point. The most effective gender pay gap strategies aren't drafted in isolation by HR, DEI or PR teams. They require cross-functional inclusion from different occupations and work areas, operations area, pay quartiles – to ensure broad inclusion and diversity of views, and participation from leadership – to build shared ownership and accountability.
Cross-functional collaboration takes more time upfront, but it's the difference between a plan that gathers dust and one that drives real change. When we work with clients, we help build consultation and implementation plans that bring the right people along from the start—because without this step, even well-designed plans will fall-short of their potential.
4. Publish an Employer Statement That Controls Your Narrative
Only 20% of private sector employers published an Employer Statement in 2025.
This was a massive, missed opportunity. When WGEA's Data Explorer went live, it received enormous traffic from employees, investors, journalists, and the public—all trying to make sense of thousands of pay gap figures without context.
Without an Employer Statement, your data is subject to misinterpretation and speculation. With one, you control the narrative and give stakeholders the context they need.
Your Employer Statement should include:
A clear commitment to gender equality and your trajectory toward targets
Your gender pay gap story—where you started, where you are, where you're headed
The underlying, structural drivers you've identified in your data
Specific actions you're taking to address those drivers
An effective Employer Statement turns a compliance deadline into a strategic opportunity to demonstrate leadership, transparency, and builds trust with employees and stakeholders.
Here's the timeline reality:
You should already be working on your Employer Statement for the 3 March release.
Starting early means you can develop evidence-based targets using robust data and genuine employee engagement. It means you'll be strategic, not reactive.
We can help you succeed
At Elevate Consulting, we can help employers turn WGEA compliance into strategic advantage. We can work with you to:
✓ Analyse your data and identify the underlying drivers of your gender pay gap
✓ Design a bespoke gender equality strategy with three evidence-based WGEA targets
✓ Craft a compelling Employer Statement and communications strategy
✓ Build internal capability and cross-functional engagement
Contact us today to discuss how we can help you prepare for March 3rd and May 31st with confidence.
