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The gender pay gap among Victoria's professional forest firefighters has nearly tripled over the past four years, according to the Australian Workers' Union (AWU). The AWU's review of Victorian Public Service data found women employed as forest firefighters by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) received pay increases averaging $3,781 between 2019 and 2023, compared to $8,036 for men. The AWU said it meant female firefighters missed out on an average of $4,255 in pay growth over the four-year period. The union also said the gender pay gap for Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) and DEECA field staff nearly tripled, increasing from 3.4 per cent to 9.5 per cent in the same period. In 2023, the median salary for female forest firefighters was $58,787, while the median for men was $64,966 — a difference of $6,179. "DEECA don't discriminate in what men and women can do in the forest firefighter role," AWU regional organiser Shanae Murray said. "They just won't pay equally." DEECA forest firefighters help protect Victoria's public land by responding to bushfires, conducting planned burns, and managing forest fuel loads to reduce fire risk across state forests and national parks. The department said the increase in the gender pay gap was linked to an increase in women joining its frontline firefighting teams at entry-level roles in recent years. "Our analysis shows there is no gender pay difference in wages across comparable roles in FFMVic," a DEECA spokesperson said. It said programs were also in place to help remove barriers and support women to progress into senior positions, to narrow the pay gap over time. Calls to address inequality The AWU has called on DEECA to address what it says is a growing inequality in pay between male and female firefighters. Ms Murray said the pay disparity was "disappointing". "For example, with the Halls Gap fires last year, DEECA made up a large number of people fighting those blazes," she said. DEECA said the proportion of women in its seasonal firefighting teams had more than doubled over the past decade — from 15 per cent in 2015 to 33 per cent in 2025. It said the number of women taking part in fire deployments was also rising, with women making up 33 per cent of those deployed in 2024–25, up from 29 per cent in 2021–22. Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes said the government was always looking to fix gender pay gaps. "(DEECA) is currently in negotiations for the next EBA, so there'll be a range of issues that will be considered in relation to pay and allowances," Ms Symes said. Gender Equity Victoria CEO Micaela Drieberg said the pay difference was concerning. "It's surprising, given the concerted effort to address gender pay gaps across multiple professions, to see it go backward for female forest firefighters," Ms Drieberg said. "There needs to be a targeted response to be supportive of the needs of women. "That might include more women in leadership positions and also offering more flexibility to both men and women." Ms Drieberg said the first female firefighters started their careers in Victoria in 1988. "That wasn't so long ago. The industry hasn't adjusted to be able to support the women in their workforce," she said.
