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Presentation of Workplace Diversity Awards 2000

The Hon. Dr David Kemp MP
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
Canberra, 20 November 2000

Public Service Commissioner, Helen Williams, Agency Heads, distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman.

It is a pleasure to be here today to be part of a function that celebrates the successes of the Australian Public Service in implementing workplace diversity, and to see so many people here indicating their support.

It is almost a year since Parliament passed the new Public Service Act, which did away with a legislative emphasis on prescription and regulation and moved to a values basis for work and decision making.

Importantly, the newly articulated APS Values, set out in that Act, include five that have direct relevance to workplace diversity. Agencies must promote equity, utilise diversity in employment, and provide a workplace that is fair, flexible, safe, rewarding and free from discrimination. They must also recognise and utilise the diversity of the Australian community they serve and be sensitive to the diversity of the Australian public.

The Public Service Commissioner's Directions complement these provisions by requiring Agency Heads to put in place measures to ensure that staff are helped to balance their work, family and other caring responsibilities.

Recognising that diversity in the workplace has a positive role to play in encouraging creativity and innovation, in understanding the particular needs of groups in the community, and in helping APS staff to perform to their full potential, makes sound business sense as well as being fair and equitable. It is an important ingredient in the drive for excellence in public service that lies behind the reforms of the last few years.

But although we now have a strong legislative framework from which to promote and achieve workplace diversity, the concept of workplace diversity can be a complex one both to understand and to implement. The way in which it translates into practice will vary from agency to agency because it must be an integral part of the corporate culture and linked to the particular agency's business outcomes. Achieving a culture that appreciates and utilises diversity is an ongoing process. Workplace Diversity Programs must be kept under review to ensure that the strategies continue to be relevant and appropriate to the dynamic environment in which we work and to changing community expectations.

In this ongoing challenge, it is important for us to take time to celebrate achievements and milestones. The Workplace Diversity Awards provide a means of recognising those agencies that have made a special effort to create an inclusive environment where everyone's background and abilities are valued and where all staff have an opportunity to contribute to their maximum potential.

And I am happy to see so many Agency Heads here today. One thing that is essential to the success of workplace diversity strategies is the commitment of senior management. This was recognised in the development of the Senior Executive Leadership Capability Framework when the extensive consultations that led to the Framework identified the ability to value individual differences and diversity as an important element of the core capability of being able to cultivate productive working relationships. These capabilities now form the basis of selection to the SES and are widely used in SES performance appraisal. They help to increase the focus of the leadership group on the positive role that diversity plays in achieving agency outcomes.

More generally, many agencies are ensuring commitment to workplace diversity by including the ability to integrate diversity principles into everyday management practice in the selection criteria for a range of positions. And performance appraisal in agencies increasingly takes into account how well managers have applied workplace diversity principles.

Many agencies have highlighted the fact that they have visible and capable staff with diverse backgrounds and perspectives in their senior and middle management positions as a major factor in achieving successful programs. Other agencies who did not have such staff have shown creativity and energy in finding ways of recruiting and developing these people. Still other agencies note that implementing workplace diversity requires basic attitudinal shifts, a situation which requires perseverance and persistence.

Whatever the challenges you are facing, I would like to commend all of you for appreciating the importance of diversity and for working together to find innovative and effective ways to promote workplace diversity principles.

Our new Public Sector Framework gives Agency Heads the flexibility to achieve results, the quid pro quo being that they are held accountable for their achievements.

I understand that some agencies have indicated that they have had so many competing priorities in the past year, particularly noting the implementation of the new Public Service Act, that workplace diversity has been put lower on the priority list. Indeed I understand that, in a few cases, workplace diversity seems to have been in danger of slipping off the priorities list altogether.

While I appreciate that implementation of the Act in a short time-frame has been difficult, and I would like again to thank Public Service agencies for their achievements and success in this area, it is important to remember that the recognition of the positive value of diversity is itself an integral part of the new reform framework.

And real achievements in this area are being made.

It has now become accepted that APS agencies should have working conditions and flexible leave arrangements that assist staff in managing the balance between personal, family and work commitments. It is recognised that ‘personal' responsibilities go beyond childcare needs and the response requires more than allowing a few people to work part-time. I am pleased to note that some of the entries in this year's Awards cover programs designed to encourage all staff to achieve a better balance between their work and private life.

Quite a number of agencies nominating for this year's Awards show that they are recognising and taking advantage of the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of existing staff to provide better service to their clients. And several agencies with a higher proportion of Indigenous clients have successfully targeted Indigenous people in recruitment campaigns.

Similarly, it has been pleasing to see that some agencies are striding ahead in the use of adaptive technology for computer access by people with disabilities. In some cases this commenced to assist staff, in other cases it was developed to assist clients. But in either situation the benefits for both staff and clients have been considerable.

We have also seen a small but steady increase in the percentage of women in middle and senior management levels in the Service. Many agencies have women's networks, and many actively encourage women to attend development programs and to apply for promotion.

Against these achievements, however, there are areas where the APS has not been so successful. When we look at overall figures, good results from a number of agencies can mask problems in others. The recently tabled Workplace Diversity Report 1999-2000 gives a breakdown of statistics by agency and, while recognising that different APS agencies will require different skills and that the availability of these skills will differ, it provides useful data for agencies to benchmark their progress.

The statistics show that in some agencies:

has actually decreased.

While this decline may in part be due to technology changes and a drop in numbers in the non-clerical and administrative employment streams, it sends a strong message to the APS as a whole that this is an area for careful attention in the future.

Finally, people who feel valued for their difference have the confidence to be seen as different. A number of agencies are running staff surveys to ascertain levels of satisfaction with workplace conditions, the degree to which staff feel accepted in their individual circumstances, and the degree to which staff feel they can contribute to their full potential.

Honest answers on these issues, which can lead to a properly targeted response, requires staff to have confidence in their senior managers and to see them leading by example.

The diversity of the Australian community is one of its strengths. When APS staff feel valued, including for their diversity of background and perspective, agencies will see the benefits in a more harmonious and cohesive workforce, and in the creative and high quality achievement of their business outcomes.

In conclusion, may I congratulate all those who entered for the Workplace Diversity Awards 2000. Not all the entries can receive an award today. But every agency that works seriously to apply the workplace diversity Values is a winner in the workplace.

I'll now hand over to Jenny Harrison who will announce the winners in this year's Diversity Awards.