When the Equal Remuneration Order was made in 2012 it was an important recognition that the salaries in the community sector were too low and that this was related to gender bias. The increases in wages required to bring about greater equity were spread over eight years and the effects on services, program budgets and organisational sustainability are starting to bite.
This might not have been such a problem if all service funding was increased to take account of the required increases, but over the past few years many contracts have been let on the basis of sums fixed to previous allocations.
To find out the extent of the impact on services – and on the agencies providing those services – WACOSS partnered with Community Employers WA to commission research from the Curtin Not-for-profit Initiative. The report based on that research, funded by Lotterywest, will be released on Wednesday 7 June at City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi St West Perth from 2pm–3pm.
Please join us to hear from the report’s author Prof David Gilchrist, WACOSS and CEWA about the impact. RSVP: [email protected]
