The Gender Equality Act 2020 requires employers to both consult with employees and their representatives in developing a Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP), and to make reasonable and measurable progress against the gender equality indicators. These are not optional expectations, they are statutory obligations.
Triple Zero Victoria’s GEAP is due on 1 May 2026. Despite clear advice from the Commission that consultation should commence in December 2025, the union was not engaged in any meaningful way until 10 March 2026, when it was provided with a one-page data summary and asked to submit written feedback.
This falls well short of genuine consultation.
Consultation must be more than a last-minute request for comments on data points. It is intended to give workers and their representatives a real opportunity to shape outcomes before decisions are made. What TZV has undertaken is, in effect, a tick-box exercise that denies employees any meaningful influence over the GEAP.
UWU advised TZV to seek an extension to the submission deadline to allow proper consultation and to meet its obligations under the Act. TZV declined this, out of concern that requesting an extension would attract negative attention from the Commission.
This reflects a troubling prioritisation of optics over compliance.
In an effort to ensure progress is still possible, UWU has provided TZV with a GEAP proposal document. This is a good faith attempt to reset the process and enable the organisation to engage properly. TZV must now demonstrate that it is willing to engage seriously, work collaboratively, and meet both the letter and the spirit of its obligations under the Act.
United Workers Union – TZV Gender Equity Action Plan Proposal