Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

Development of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy is underway after consultation across the organisation. It will guide how we bring Strategy 2030 to life by embedding equity, cultural safety and inclusion into everything we do. 

Our strategy will focus on: 

• Progressing cultural safety across the organisation. 
• Listening deeply to First Nations leaders and communities and embedding self-determination across the organisation. 
• Advocating for systemic change by influencing fairer policies and ensuring the voices of those most impacted are at the centre of designing solutions. 
• Embedding lived experience in decision-making, recognising that meaningful inclusion of people with lived and living experience leads to more responsive, impactful, and equitable outcomes. 

• Diversity is the presence and recognition of differences in identities, experiences, and perspectives among individuals and communities. It encompasses various attributes such as race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, and more. Embracing diversity involves valuing these differences and understanding their impact on individuals’ lives and interactions within organizations and society. 
• Equity recognises that the world has not been designed with everyone in mind and that fairness means responding to different needs in different ways. Creating fair conditions by recognising that people have different needs, barriers, and starting points. Equity is about removing barriers and structural disadvantage and ensuring people have what they need to thrive. It is about not assuming that one size fits all. 
• Inclusion is about actively fostering and building environments where everyone feels they belong, is respected, and can contribute fully to decisions, workplaces, services, and community life. Inclusion turns diversity into belonging. 
• Bringing them together: By recognising and valuing difference, responding to different needs in different ways and creating spaces where people feel belonging, DEI is a meaningful framework for driving change, allowing us to work towards achieving an inclusive and fair society where people can live a fulfilling life. 

We are members of the Diversity Council of Australia.