Navigating Change: The Impact of Albanese’s Re-election on Professional Contractors and Women in Project Management
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s re-election in May 2025 marks a pivotal shift in Australia’s industrial relations and workplace equality landscape. For professional project management specialists—especially those working across finance, insurance, banking, and general business services—these changes will shape how contract work is governed, delivered, and valued.
Implications for Contract Workers in Corporate Australia
Several key reforms introduced or expanded by the Albanese government are set to impact the way corporate project leaders engage and manage contract professionals:
- Portable Entitlements Scheme: A proposed universal long service leave scheme will allow professionals moving between contract roles to retain entitlements. For consultants and freelance project managers working across organisations, this fosters continuity and reward for long-term industry participation.
- Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act: This legislation bans pay secrecy clauses, promotes multi-employer bargaining, and protects the right to flexible work arrangements—particularly valuable in dynamic, deadline-driven project environments.
- Closing Loopholes Bill: Labour hire professionals must now be paid at the same rate as equivalent direct hires, while new minimum standards for gig workers and wage theft provisions offer additional protection for knowledge-based contractors.
These reforms prompt corporate PMOs and HR partners to reevaluate compliance strategies, ensuring contract templates and workforce practices align with the new legal landscape.
Opportunities and Challenges for Women in Professional Contracting
The government’s renewed focus on gender equality in the workplace presents meaningful opportunities for women working in contract-based project delivery roles:
- Working for Women Strategy: This national 10-year plan aims to advance women’s safety, economic standing, and leadership pathways. Key measures include superannuation payments on Commonwealth parental leave starting July 2025—an important step in closing retirement savings gaps for women with non-linear career paths.
- Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Act 2023: A Landmark reform now requires large employers to report gender pay gaps publicly. For women in contract roles, this introduces transparency and accountability into hiring environments, strengthening their position in pay negotiations and increasing organisational pressure to achieve equity—across both permanent and contingent workforces.
- Support for Flexibility and Pay Equity: Legislative backing for flexible work and the removal of pay secrecy clauses will further empower female professionals who have historically navigated trade-offs between career and care responsibilities.
Strategic Considerations for Project Management Professionals
With these reforms in place, corporate project managers and delivery leaders should take proactive steps to adapt:
- Review and Align Contracts: Ensure that contingent worker agreements reflect new compliance requirements, particularly around pay transparency, flexibility, and leave entitlements.
- Champion Inclusive Procurement: Procurement and talent teams can use gender equality reporting and policy commitments as a guide when selecting contractors or consulting partners.
- Promote Inclusive Culture Across Projects: Integrate gender equity objectives into team leadership, ensuring female contractors receive equal access to high-visibility roles, mentoring, and leadership pathways.
The Outlook: A More Equitable Contracting Future
While challenges remain—particularly in shifting embedded biases and adapting administrative systems—the overall policy direction signals strong government support for women in professional contract roles. For project management professionals, this is an opportunity to lead from the front: building delivery teams that are not only compliant, but inclusive, high-performing, and future-ready.
