Monday 17 August, marked Australia's national Equal Pay Day. Annually calculated by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). This symbolic date represents how many additional days into the new financial year Australian women must work, on average, to match the earnings of men from the previous financial year.

This year, the gap amounts to exactly 48 extra days of work. 

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows Australia’s gender pay gap for full-time ordinary earnings is 11.3%, down from 11.5% late last year. 

The gender pay gap is different to equal pay for equal work, which has been protected by Australian law for many years. Instead, it looks at the difference between the average earnings of women and men across the workforce. 

Where we are  

For the 2024–25 reporting year, SA Power Networks Group’s gender pay gap was 12.2%, based on average total remuneration. 

This compares with: 

• 15.6% across the Electricity Distribution Industry  
• 23.9% across the Construction Industry 

While our gap is lower than these industry averages, we know there is still work to do. WGEA considers a gender pay gap between -5% and +5% to be within the target range.  

The impact also extends beyond take-home pay. Differences in earnings over a person’s career can contribute to a gap in retirement savings between women and men. 

What we're doing 

Closing the gap takes sustained action – not a single initiative.  

We're continuing to review our workforce data, recruitment practices and career pathways to better understand where barriers exist and where we can make improvements. 

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan 2026–28 sets out how we will continue this work over the next three years. 

We know closing the gender pay gap won’t happen through one action alone. It requires us to keep looking at where gaps exist, understand what is driving them, and make practical changes that support greater gender equity across our workplace.