9. Question No. 9—Workplace Relations and SafetyJAN LOGIE (Green) to the Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and SafetyQuestion No. 9—Workplace Relations and Safety9. JAN LOGIE (Green) to the Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does she agree with Australian Prime Minister Albanese who said right now there's not enough transparency around the gender pay gap in workplaces. That's why we're introducing a bill to fix that"; if so when will she introduce a pay transparency bill?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): I do agree with Prime Minister Albanese and this Government is absolutely committed to reducing the gender and ethnic pay gaps and improving pay equity more broadly in New Zealand. Officials from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and the Ministry for Women are progressing work on what a pay transparency system that is fit for New Zealand would look like. This includes considering a range of options that includes both policy and legislative options. We are also working with NACEW—that's the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women—in their role as the national advisory group on pay transparency to ensure that we get it right for New Zealand. It is also important to remember that this is one part of a broader suite of initiatives that this Government has progressed to address pay equity issues. This is a Government that's committed to improving pay equity. We've taken a number of steps already towards this and we will continue to do so.Jan Logie: Does she consider increasing all women's pay a bread and butter issue when it's so essential for putting the bread and butter on the table?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: As I've already said pay equity issues around fairness of pay is a priority for this Government. We have already progressed an amendment to the Equal Pay Act in 2020. That has meant that over 104000 people have had an adjustment to their pay through pay equity settlements. In fact the Minister for Women has just outlined to this House recent steps taken towards that. We have passed fair pay agreements: the Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022 that will help a number of people towards pay equity. The Public Service Commission is requiring public sector agencies to report about their pay gaps and action to fix those pay gaps. And we have a number of employment action plans that have set out a range of actions designed to target exactly this.Jan Logie: Does she acknowledge the research that shows Pacific women being paid only 75c to Pākehā men's dollar is largely a result of unconscious bias and discrimination that could be addressed by pay transparency?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: I acknowledge that piece of research and also research that was commissioned and undertaken by the Ministry for Women that finds that 80 percent of a gender pay gap was unexplained and is generally based on the result of conscious and unconscious biases and also various other factors that impact negatively on women's recruitment and pay advancement. That is exactly why we are progressing work to look at what a pay transparency system that is fit for New Zealand could look like.Jan Logie: Considering we've had an Equal Pay Act for 50 years the public sector—which has pay transparency—has closed the gap but New Zealand more broadly has seen a widening of the gap recently; why is the Government not acting with more urgency to introduce pay transparency legislation?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: As I have said time and again in this House—today as well—we are progressing work to look at what a pay transparency system that is fit for a New Zealand context would look like. That requires work and that work is under way. In the meantime we've undertaken a range of steps to address pay equity more broadly that has resulted in the impact—or what we're seeing of the narrowing of the gap that the member has just outlined.Jan Logie: Why has the Government referred the pay transparency work to NACEW delaying implementation when labour historian Cybèle Locke has said "the research needed for setting up a proper pay transparency system for the private sector is already there."?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: That is not true. We do need more research into this into what a fit for context fit for purpose system would look like. That's exactly what we do. I reject the member's premise that this is delaying the work—we're working with NACEW and their networks to make sure that we get this right.Jan Logie: What does she say to Mind The Gap's Dellwyn Stuart who said "an advisory group is not enough to put more money in people's wallets. We need much greater urgency"?Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: An advisory group is what we need to ensure that we get this work right."