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Equal by 30

Equal pay, equal leadership, equal opportunities

The Equal by 30 campaign is a public commitment by public and private sector organisations to work towards equal pay, equal leadership, and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030.

The campaign asks organisations, companies, and governments to endorse the Equal by 30 principles and take concrete actions to accelerate the participation of women in the clean energy sector.

Campaign history

Since the campaign’s launch in 2018, it has reached over 180 signatories worldwide spanning the energy sector, including renewables, energy efficiency, nuclear and clean technology. This includes 13 national governments, including all G7 countries.

The Canadian Government leads the Equal by 30 campaign. It is 1 of 5 work streams developed under the Equality in Energy Transitions (Equality Initiative), an initiative developed by the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Australian leadership in the campaign

At COP26 in November 2021, the Australian Government announced it had joined the Equal by 30 campaign.

The Australian Government endorsed the campaign’s four key public sector principles:

  1. We aim to lead by example by taking concrete steps to promote gender equality so that our lessons can serve as an example for others to follow.
  2. We aim to integrate a gender lens into all levels of our work, mainstreaming gender equality into our organisational culture and process.
  3. We will set high standards for the recruitment, promotion and participation of women, adopting more rigorous requirements where necessary.
  4. We will report regularly within our organisations and to the public we serve, so that progress is measured, visible, well-communicated, and we are fully accountable to our citizens.

Australia’s tailored commitments

In December 2022, the Australian Government added to its endorsement of the Equal by 30 campaign. Following an extensive consultation across government and industry, the Australian Government has developed five additional commitments aimed at closing the gender gap across the clean energy sector in Australia.

The Australian Government will:

  1. Create an Australian Women in Energy Roundtable for industry to promote and share equality initiatives and policies which accelerate the participation of women in the clean energy workforce.
  2. Promote gender balance in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) leadership roles by June 2023 to align with the Australian Public Service’s Gender Equality Strategy 2021-26.
  3. Drive practical actions towards equality-based policies within industry by sharing and promoting Australian Public Service flexible workplace arrangements aimed at closing both the gender balance and gender pay gap.
  4. Work across government agencies to build a Women in Energy Resources Hub. The Hub will include sample guidelines and procedures, providing small-medium enterprises the opportunity to identify relevant and meaningful actions for the achievement of gender equality within their workforce.
  5. Expand engagement across domestic and international forums within the energy sector by championing diversity and gender equality matters.

These commitments align with broader efforts to empower women and girls, and promote gender equality.

Signing up to Equal by 30

Is your organisation committed to equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector? Get in touch to find out how you can get involved by emailing energystrategicpolicy@dcceew.gov.au.

Read more

Equal by 30 website

The Australian Energy Employment Report