Lion takes steps to end gender pay gap, removes interview salary questions

The company officially removed salary questions from its online applications and job interviews, as it believes the question maintains gender pay gaps.

It was one of the first companies in Australia to do so.

Lion chief executive Stuart Irvine said they closed their gender pay gap for like-for-like roles in 2016, and have been working to keep it closed since.

"This next change is important so that we stop the problem at the beginning of the recruitment process," he said.

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"For example, if there's a female applicant and a male applicant and they're both successful and we say we'll pay you 10 per cent more than you're currently on - you're just perpetuating the gap into the organisation.

"Not only will this help us keep the gender pay gap closed at Lion, but it will also create a much fairer system for everyone with pay offers based on market data."

The announcement formed part of Lion's aim to achieve a 50:50 gender balance by 2026. It has been focussed on attracting more women to apply for roles within the company, with a 6 per cent increase in senior female hires seen last year.

The decision came just days before Equal Pay Day.

Minister for Women Sarah Courtney said the day was an important reminder that a gender pay gap still existed in Australia.

"Equal Pay Day on August 28 marks the 59 additional days from the end of the previous financial year that women must work, on average, to earn the same amount as men earned that year," she said.

"The [state government] has a vision that empowers and enables Tasmanian women and girls to fully participate in our economic, social, political and community life.

She said direct action was being taken to reduce gender-based inequalities and to empower women to play a bigger role in all aspects of life.

Opposition Minister for Women Michelle O'Byrne said it was unacceptable that inequality continued to exist for women.

"This year marks 50 years since Australian women won the right to equal pay. And yet here we are five decades later, being forced to bang on about the exact same unresolved issue," she said.

"A grandmother, a mother, and a daughter should not have to protest the exact same issue.

"The national gender pay gap shows women are still undervalued at work, with women earning an average of $162 less per week than men."