Can my employer require me to keep my salary secret?

No, only if you’ve agreed to keep your salary secret in your employment contract.

While your salary is your personal information, the Privacy Act doesn’t require you to keep it confidential. The question is governed by employment law. If your employer has added this term or condition to your employment contract you may want to discuss the need for secrecy with your employer before you accept it or seek legal advice.

For background information on this topic, read these articles:

• Secrecy about pay suits employers, not employees(external link)
• Why pay transparency is good for business(external link)
• Is pay transparency good for business?(external link)
• I'll tell you my salary, if you tell me yours (external link)