The Hon. Mary Wooldridge, Chief Executive Officer of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), will address the National Press Club of Australia on "Accelerating gender equality in Australian workplaces".
On 27 February 2024, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is publishing the gender pay gaps for almost 5,000 Australian private sector employers. A month after publication, WGEA’s CEO Mary Wooldridge will present to the National Press Club an analysis of the publication of employer gender pay gaps and what’s next to accelerate workplace gender equality in Australia.
Mary will set out what makes Australia a world leader in the collection and publication of employer gender equality data, and consider, with such comprehensive information and broad private and public sector employer engagement, what more is needed to achieve greater gender equality by employers at their workplaces.
Mary Wooldridge commenced as CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) in May 2021. She leads the Agency in driving gender equality in workplaces ensuring that women and men are equally represented, valued and rewarded.
Mary brings to the role a wealth of experience from a distinguished career in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Mary served from 2006 to 2020 in the Victorian Parliament, including a term as Minister for Mental Health, Community Services and Women’s Affairs.
As Minister, Mary worked to implement the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 and was instrumental in establishing Our Watch, the national family violence prevention agency. Mary was the Minister responsible for signing Victoria up to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. She established the Victorian Commission for Children and Young People, including the nation’s first Aboriginal Commissioner, Australia’s first Mental Health Complaints Commissioner, the Family Drug Treatment Court and Parkville College – an award-winning Public School in Youth Justice Centres.
Prior to being elected to Parliament, Mary was the CEO of The Foundation for Young Australians and worked with McKinsey & Company in New York and Consolidated Press Holdings in Sydney.
Mary also serves as Chair of Global Citizen (Oceania) and a Director of Carey Baptist Grammar School.
