Speaking at the ALP annual conference, Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek promised to make equal pay a priority. If elected in 2019, Labor will appoint a Fair Work Commission president who will head a pay equity panel, which will review and make decisions on pay disputes guided by a new equal remuneration principle. Plibersek acknowledged that substantial pay gaps exist across female-dominated industries and announced measures to fairly compensate workers in industries such as early-childcare and nursing will be a priority. She reported that women working in feminised industries such as healthcare, social assistance and education earn $30,000 less than the average man working in male-dominated industries such as mining and construction. Plibersek emphasised that a structural overhaul would ensure low paid workers — too often exploited– would be supported in their pursuits of more equal work conditions and pay.