Portfolio — 22 April 2026

Minister for Women Senator Katy Gallagher announced the appointment of Christine Castley as CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, effective 19 May 2026, for a five-year term [TA-260422-pmc-54275bfaec62]. Castley arrives from Multicultural Australia, where she served as CEO from 2020 to 2025, and previously held Deputy Director-General roles in two Queensland government departments — the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Department of Housing and Public Works [TA-260422-pmc-54275bfaec62].

Gallagher framed the appointment in explicit policy terms, stating that Castley's regulatory and legislative experience positions her to accelerate progress on women's economic equality in Australian workplaces — an area the government has identified as a key priority [TA-260422-pmc-54275bfaec62]. Castley's own public statement emphasised translating WGEA's data insights into measurable workplace and gender equality outcomes through close engagement with employers, signalling an operationally focused approach to the role [TA-260422-pmc-54275bfaec62].

The appointment heads a regulatory agency whose public gender pay gap data publication function has attracted sustained employer and industry attention since its expansion; Castley's background spanning community-sector leadership and senior public administration gives the government a candidate it can present as bridging both the advocacy and regulatory dimensions of WGEA's mandate.