Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) data revealed some of Australia’s media companies have quite a way to go in achieving equal pay. Mediaweek asked media companies to share their responses to the data found and what actions they are taking to make improvements for the future.
ARN
Angela Ewers, ARN chief people officer, said: “ARN is committed to closing the gender pay gap and has made progress by continuing to leverage a robust, companywide remuneration framework, reviewing employee pay within this framework, and ensuring no gender-based pay inequity exists.
“We recognise that lower female representation in key management roles continues to contribute to a gender pay gap. As we focus on building a more balanced gender profile across all levels of the organisation, we’re pleased to see that in 2024, gender pay gaps have narrowed in several areas, including most managerial roles. We’re also proud that ARN’s Executive Leadership Team now has an equal gender split, with 50% men and 50% women.
“However, there’s still more to do, and we will continue to use data to guide our efforts to achieve gender balance and ensure ARN is a diverse, inclusive and equitable employer.”
IPG Mediabrands
Mark Coad, IPG Mediabrands CEO Australia, said in a statement: “IPG Mediabrands is proud of the work we continue to do to close the Gender Pay Gap in our Company and in our Industry. We are committed to supporting and celebrating a fair and equitable workplace across several touch points to ensure lasting, sustainable change.”
IPG Mediabrands also noted its commitment to fostering a gender-equitable workplace by ensuring our benefits are accessible and utilised by men and women equally.
It’s commitments include People Policies such as Parental Leave Review, a remuneration process, a period and menopause mates policy, a flexible working policy, learning and development opportunities and foster and kinship policy support.
News Corp Australia
“Aligned to WGEA reporting requirements, News Corp Australia continues to make reducing the gender pay gap a priority. Our pay gap continues to reduce year on year and remains significantly lower than the average for employers in our industry. While this is a continuing positive trend, we remain committed to additional efforts that will result in further reductions.
Foxtel Group
A Foxtel Group spokesperson said: “The Foxtel Group has long been taking deliberate action on gender pay equity including proactive investment in leadership, recruitment and growth programs to ensure our workplace is one of fairness and inclusivity. We continue to prioritise our work in this area in a way that drives positive change for women.”
QMS
The out-of-home advertising company said in a statement: “While the average total remuneration and average base salary has a pay gap that favours men, the median pay across the business has a pay gap that favours women and a base salary reflective of a gender equal environment.
“WGEA is an important part of our diversity and inclusion strategy, helping us identify focus areas to drive gender equity. We are committed to fair pay practices and continue to focus on initiatives that support gender equity, career progression, and foster an inclusive workplace.”
Nine
In its 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report, Nine said: “At Nine, we are committed to gender equality and have a long track record of advocating for women. Nine continues to build a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace for our employees, while actively championing diversity in all forms. We strongly support initiatives that help reduce the gender pay gap.
“Nine operates at a group level, with employees from all our legal entities collaborating across business units and teams across every state and territory across Australia. Teams and departments can include employees from up to six different legal entities but in line with WGEA reporting guidelines these entities are reported separately.
“Nine has conducted an internal ‘like-for-like’ gender pay gap analysis at a more granular level using salary grades and job family information. The analysis confirmed the major factor contributing to the broader gender pay gap within our organisation is the under-representation of women in senior leadership or higher-paying senior roles, combined with the higher representation of women in the typically lower-paying roles. This is consistent with the broader WGEA results.
“While Nine is making good progress on an organisation-wide cultural transformation, the company recognises improvement on the gender pay gap requires a strong understanding of contributing factors and active leadership at all levels of the business to drive improved outcomes for women. The publication of gender pay gap data is an important part of the process, helping to promote awareness and insights across the community.”
Val Morgan Group
“Our commitment to gender equity stems from our belief that a diverse, inclusive workplace drives innovation, creativity, and success. We’re dedicated to creating an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive, contribute unique perspectives, and reach their full potential.
“We acknowledge that our current gender pay gap is above the industry average. While we are proud of many aspects of our organisational culture, including the stability, experience and results of our senior leadership team, we also recognise that we have work to do to close our gender pay gap.
“Our approach to achieving gender equity is guided by action within each of the Gender Equality Indicators across our organisational structure, policies, and culture. We’re taking deliberate and ongoing steps to regularly assess, and address pay disparities, analyse equal opportunities for professional development, refine our policies to eliminate biases and promote inclusivity, and actively gather feedback from our team to foster a culture where diverse voices are heard and valued.
“We know that closing the gender pay gap is a long-term commitment, and we are prepared to do the work necessary to make meaningful progress. By leveraging the strengths of our leadership tenure while continuing to drive inclusivity and equity in leadership pathways, we aim to create a more balanced and fairer workplace for all.”
Yesterday, Lydia Feely, general manager of TrinityP3, said significant work still needs to be done in the industry. Freely said: “This is the second year where we have seen the WGEA pay gap numbers come out and clearly there are businesses who have spent the past 12 months working on addressing issues in their businesses around the gender pay gap.”
“That being said, the numbers put the problem front and centre. What is clear is that many adland and media businesses have a significant difference in how they pay their staff, based on gender, and we need to do more to close the ongoing pay gap.”
Darren Woolley, CEO of TrinityP3, added: “If the industry is committed to being fair and inclusive, then closing the ongoing gender pay gap should be a high priority year round—not just the day the WGEA report lands. For real change to occur this needs to be an ongoing effort by everyone from the board, C-Suite and shareholders down.”