According to the Workplace Gender Equality Procurement Principles (WGE Procurement Principles), to be considered for government procurement contracts at or above $80,000, or $7.5 million for construction services, all tenderers who have 100 or more employees must be able to demonstrate they are compliant with the WGE Act by supplying a letter of compliance from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), either with their submission or before entering into a contract with an Australian Government agency.
Compliance requires relevant employers to report to WGEA on their performance against the Gender Equality Indicators (GEIs) and communicate their performance to employees, shareholders and governing bodies.
Employers with 500 or more employees (known as designated relevant employers (DREs) have greater compliance obligations. These employers are required to have policies or strategies in place for the six GEIs and communicate their performance to employees, shareholders and governing bodies. Starting in 2026, DREs that report to WGEA must also meet their targets obligations under the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Setting Gender Equality Targets) Act 2025 with private sector employers required to select and report targets to WGEA between April-May 2026 and Commonwealth public sector employers from September-October 2026. DREs will need to select, achieve, or make progress on 3 gender equality targets from a menu of numeric and action-oriented targets to be compliant with the WGE Act. Employers will have 3 years to meet or demonstrate improvement on their selected targets.
For further information on targets and how WGEA manages compliance please refer to WGEA’s website and WGEA Compliance Strategy.
Refresh of Workplace Gender Equality Procurement Principles
In 2025, consistent with commitments in Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality, the government announced it would strengthen compliance with procurement rules to make sure the government is only working with companies that meet WGEA requirements.
Earlier work undertaken in 2023 by the Office for Women (OFW) to review the WGE Procurement Principles found there were high levels of compliance and identified opportunities to improve transparency and further strengthen compliance.
To action the opportunities identified and inform a refresh of the WGE Procurement Principles anticipated for early 2026, OFW is assessing the efficacy and scope of the WGE Procurement Principles; looking at ways to streamline processes; and improve transparency and accountability of whole of government compliance.