Employment Policy: Pay Scale Equity

The University of Newcastle is committed to ensuring equitable remuneration through transparent and consistent employment arrangements. In 2025, salaries and employment conditions for academic, teaching and professional staff were governed by the 2023 Enterprise Agreements, which established standardised salary scales, employment conditions and progression pathways across the institution. These arrangements work alongside the University’s commitment to measuring and eliminating gender pay gaps.

Commitment to Gender Pay Equity

The University recognises that achieving pay equity is fundamental to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace. Through its public Gender Pay Equity Statement, the University commits to equal remuneration for equal work, regardless of gender, and to monitoring and addressing broader gender pay disparities.

The University’s approach includes:

  • Equal remuneration and equal pay for work of equal value, regardless of gender.
  • Transparency in remuneration practices through publicly available salary bands and pay scales.
  • Regular monitoring and review of pay outcomes to identify and address any gender pay disparities.
  • Action against the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Gender Equality Indicators to drive continuous improvement.

The statement also describes regular gender pay-gap analysis, annual salary reviews, training and awareness about pay equity and bias, and flexible working arrangements. The University shares its WGEA Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark Report with its governing body to support oversight of pay-equity outcomes.

Enterprise Agreements and Equitable Remuneration

The University’s Academic Staff and Teachers Enterprise Agreement 2023 and Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement 2023 commenced on 20 September 2023 and applied throughout 2025. They set out classification-based salary schedules and progression arrangements for staff covered by the agreements, supporting transparency and consistency in remuneration.

Their equity provisions affirm the University’s commitment to equal employment opportunity, equity, diversity and inclusion in workplace practices. The agreements establish common classifications and published salary rates, while the University’s pay-equity monitoring also examines differences that may arise across levels, roles and seniority.

Preparations also commenced for negotiation of the next Enterprise Agreement, with bargaining taking place from April 2025. The University’s 2025 bargaining update recorded a 4% salary increase delivered in March 2025 under the existing arrangements. The 2023 agreements remained applicable during the reporting year and were subsequently replaced in August 2026. 2025 enterprise bargaining update

Measuring and responding to gender pay gaps

The University’s WGEA public report, dated 23 May 2025, confirms that the University had formal policies and strategies to achieve gender pay equity and close the gender pay gap. It recorded like-for-like comparisons of roles of equal or comparable value, analysis of pay differences within employee levels, and analysis of the organisation-wide gender pay gap. The report states that the most recent remuneration gap analysis had been completed within the preceding 12 months.

The same report records actions taken following this analysis: correcting identified instances of unequal pay, examining causes of gaps, reviewing remuneration decisions and recruitment practices, and reporting findings to both the University executive and governing body. It also confirms a formal institutional target to reduce the organisation-wide gender pay gap.

Workforce Gender Equity Plan

The University’s Progress to Equity Plan and workforce gender equity initiatives provide a strategic framework for addressing gender-based workforce inequities. These initiatives focus on increasing women’s representation in senior leadership and under-represented disciplines, improving career progression opportunities, embedding accountability for gender equity outcomes, and ensuring transparency in workforce planning and decision making.

As the majority of University staff are employed under enterprise agreements with standardised salary scales, the University examines gender pay differences in relation to employment classification, career progression and the representation of women in senior and leadership positions. Its initiatives focus on increasing leadership diversity, strengthening recruitment and promotion pathways, and supporting women’s career advancement through mentoring, leadership development and succession planning.

SAGE Athena Swan Silver Accreditation

In 2024, the University achieved SAGE Athena Swan Silver Accreditation, becoming one of the first two Australian universities to receive this internationally recognised award for sustained progress in gender equity, diversity and inclusion. The accreditation reflects more than seven years of evidence-based action to improve workforce equity and remove barriers to participation and progression.

This work has addressed the attraction and retention of women in STEMM disciplines, career development and leadership, Indigenous cultural competency, support for staff with caring responsibilities, and inconsistent workload allocation. The accompanying Athena Swan Silver Action Plan provides a roadmap for continued progress over the following seven years, complementing the University’s pay-equity and workforce strategies.

Accountability and public reporting

The University demonstrates transparency and accountability through annual reporting to WGEA under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, institutional pay-gap reviews and disclosure of workforce and remuneration information. Its published Gender Pay Equity Statement commits the University to monitoring progress, taking corrective action where needed and reporting relevant results to institutional leadership.

Through transparent salary structures, active analysis of gender pay disparities and targeted career development, the University works to ensure fair remuneration and reduce barriers to advancement. These measures support a more equitable workplace in which pay practices and leadership opportunities are reviewed and strengthened over time.