Mother-of-three Joanne Thom has taken a total of more than two years of parental leave from her senior role at Melbourne Water.

Key points: New laws in Victoria mean public service organisations will be required to set gender targets

New laws in Victoria mean public service organisations will be required to set gender targets Organisations could face the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal if they fail to hit their targets

Organisations could face the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal if they fail to hit their targets The latest Global Gender Gap Report found that over the past 14 years, Australia fell from 15th in the world to 44th

Women often feel isolated from work and anxious about returning after being away for a long time to have babies, but Ms Thom said she felt the opposite.

That's because her employer provided her with online training and kept her in the loop while she was away from work.

"In my 15 years at Melbourne Water I've had three parental leave breaks," she said.

"I've returned to a new role which gives me flexible hours and I don't feel like my career has stalled in any way."

Joanne Thom says her career has not stalled despite taking three parental leave breaks. ( ABC News: Billy Draper )

Melbourne Water is one of more than 300 Victorian public service organisations that will now be required to set gender targets as part of the State Government's new gender equality laws.

Despite all the work being done at such organisations to help address inequality in the workplace, the latest Global Gender Gap Report has revealed gender equality in Australia has gone backwards.

Over the past 14 years, Australia has fallen from 15th in the world to 44th, according to the World Economic Forum.

Gender equality in Australia on the slide

Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said while there has been good intent, there has not been a significant shift in the pay gap in the Victorian public service for decades.

"We know the dial hasn't moved in the way we need to see it moving and that's ultimately why we produced this legislation to do something different to shift that dial," Ms Williams said.

"We know even in workforces that are majority women, women are under-represented in executive positions."

The gender pay gap in the Victorian Public Service remains at 11 per cent, while in the Commonwealth Public Service it is nearly 14 per cent.

In a first for Australia, all Victorian public sector organisations including universities, local councils and emergency services will now have to prove they are "actively pursuing" gender equality targets.

A public sector gender commissioner will oversee the progress and if organisations do not hit their targets, they could face the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Ms Williams said the gender pay gap was one of the reasons why on average women retire with less than half the superannuation of men.

The new legislation will require employers to report their progress every two years and show how they are addressing the gender pay gap and sexual harassment and achieving equality in career opportunities.

Victoria will become one of only four other jurisdictions in the world with similar laws, joining the UK, Iceland and France.

Equality in parenting

Father-of-two Liam Carter has taken nearly eight months of parental leave from his job at the Department of Education to look after his daughter and allow his partner to go back to work.

After talking to his employer, he will go back to a new job with flexible hours, so he can share the caring role.

"I caught up with my boss casually about a month ago," Mr Carter said.

"The first thing she asked me was what I needed from a family point of view and what I needed from a career point of view and we went from there and I instantly felt very supported."

Liam Carter took eight months off work to look after his daughter, Gabrielle, and allow his partner to go back to work. ( ABC News: Billy Draper )

He was going back to a different role so that he could work part-time, he said.

"I really see my new role as not a step back or a placeholder," he said.

"It's one that will really help me with my career and spend more time at home."

While Mr Carter said he hasn't felt any stigma about taking parental leave, many men have.

"We know men are often heavily stigmatised for requesting paid parental leave and we want to change that as well," Ms Williams said.

"We've heard instances of men being criticised and made fun of for requesting parental leave, comments that are very gendered and effectively go to, 'Well can't your wife do that?'

"We know these are outdated, they're incorrect and by encouraging more equality in our workplaces we're also encouraging more equality in our homes."