What's the 'big change' coming to Australian workplaces this February?

Starting February 27, major organisations will have their gender pay gaps published online as a new Australian law on gender equality takes effect.

The law, which passed Parliament last year, mandates organisations with over 100 employees to publish their gender pay gap data on the Workplace Gender Equality (WGEA) website.

Women Minister Katy Gallagher said the first report will be available in February.

"So, we believe this big change, that we passed the legislation for last year will come in and it will publish gender pay gaps for companies and businesses with more than 100 employees," she told reporters over the weekend.

"And for the first time, we will see at an individual level what's happening in individual businesses across Australia."

According to the minister, the data coming this February will give a "very good indication" of what's happening at an individual business level and on how long it would take to close the gender pay gap.

"I think everyone's in agreement that 25 years is too long, and we want to see it significantly reduced," Gallagher said.

Employers stepping up

In the months leading up to February, the minister said employers have begun sharing their data with WGEA and started highlighting the steps they're taking to close the gaps.

"It's great to see employers stepping up and being real partners in this effort," she said as quoted by the Australian Associated Press. "I think for those that have a significant gender pay gap, they're going to have to change the way they do things."

WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge previously told the Sydney Morning Herald that the law comes with a clear message from the government that equality in workplaces is among its priorities.

"What it requires with transparency and accountability around performance is [that] companies have that light shone on their performance, but also an opportunity then to articulate what they're doing about it," Wooldridge said.

The legislation's impact comes at a time when the country's gender pay gap is at record low.

The Australian Statistics Bureau's analysis put the gender pay gap at 13% last year, while WGEA's own data from its annual Employer Census put the pay gap at 21.7%.