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Equity Diversity Annual Report 2004-2005

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Equity Diversity Annual Report 2004-2005 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Equity and Diversity and Diversity 05 Equity and Diversity Annual Report 2004 Equity and Diversity Equal Employment Opportunity Report to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Equity and Diversity Equity and Diversity Equity and Diversity 2005 Contents Key Areas of the Equity and Diversity Program . .5 Responsibility . .7 Communication . .9 Diversity Profile and Initiatives . .12 Objectives and Progress . .30 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Subsidiaries . .32 4 Equity and Diversity Annual Report 2004-2005 The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is the national broadcaster established as a statutory corporation under the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 (the ABC Act). The ABC Act, which includes the ABC Charter, sets out the basic functions and duties of the Corporation. As a Commonwealth authority employer, the ABC is bound by the provisions of the Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987, the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and the Age Discrimination Act 2004. This report is made under the provisions of Section 9(2) of the Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987. The reporting period covers 1 September 2004 to 31 August 2005. The Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987 requires the ABC to promote equal opportunity in employment for women and designated groups which are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from a non-English speaking This report is published by the Australian background and people with disabilities. Broadcasting Corporation For information about this report, please contact: Included in this report are details of the progress ABC Manager Diversity of strategies from the ABC's Equity and GPO Box 9994 Diversity Management Plan that covers the Sydney 2001 period 2003-2006. 5 Key Areas of The Equity and Diversity Program The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is required by the Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987 (Section 5) to develop an equal employment opportunity (EEO) program designed to eliminate discrimination and promote equal opportunity for women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from a non-English speaking background and people with disabilities. In developing an EEO program the ABC has broadened the focus to recognise the importance of workplace diversity in line with public sector guidelines and private sector best practice. The Equity and Diversity Management Plan 2003-2006 covers the period 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2006. The aims and broad strategies of the Indigenous Employment Plan 2002-2005 and the ABC’s Disability Action Plan are incorporated in this plan for policy and division- al reporting purposes. The Equity and Diversity Management Plan is underpinned by the Corporation’s Charter, Corporate Plan, Editorial Policies and Workplace Values and Code of Conduct. It promotes a fair, inclusive working environment, with a diverse workforce, assisting the ABC to provide programs and services that are accessi- ble and relevant to the diversity of the Australian community. Each Division has developed relevant strategies under the key areas and included these under their divisional plans linked to the ABC’s overall Corporate Plan. 6 Key Areas of the Equity and Diversity Management Plan 20032006 Leadership and Commitment Leadership and commitment by senior and line managers is essential for a culture that values diversity within the ABC. Managers who are appropriate role models and mentors, who plan and implement diversity objectives and strategies within the business process and who manage staff with fairness and flexibility, contribute to the acceptance of equity and diversity practice by all staff. Diversity Profile and Services Within the framework of developing business targets and strategies, Divisions need to integrate equity and diversity goals to achieve a diverse staff profile linked to broad and innovative programs and services. Divisions will include their equity and diversity plans within overall plans and reporting frameworks. Education and Participation Education and information for all staff on equity and diversity policies and practices is a key feature of the plan and will assist the ABC to build on existing awareness of policies and initia- tives as well as alerting staff to developments and trends that affect and support managers and staff. There will be a range of methods and forums for delivering information and training to all staff. The overall knowledge and understanding of equity and diversity will be enhanced and the Corporation will move closer to adopting an organisation-wide “culture” of diversity. Consistency and Integration Equity and diversity policies and information are most effective when the content and availability are consistent. All documentation and training material will be reviewed, to ensure commonality; all sources of information will be updated on a regular basis and measures will be introduced to ensure that all staff access the relevant information. All states and territories have local human resources staff who carry out a range of functions within their areas, linked to national policies, guidelines and support. A major focus of the plan is to integrate equity and diversity at the local level by providing state/territory resources, contacts and assistance that can benefit staff and promote diversity. Positive Work Environment One of the important areas for management and staff is the promotion of a non-discrimina- tory and harassment-free working environment with appropriate policies, guidelines and training for all staff. Training aimed at creating a better workplace will be delivered to all staff nationally. The recognition and need to address bullying at work will be a feature of training material. Work/Life Balance The ABC is committed to continue to provide a range of conditions of service, guidelines and initiatives that assist managers and staff to balance work and life commitments and to increase awareness and acceptance of work/life balance as an integral part of effective management practice. 7 Responsibility The Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987 requires the ABC to confer responsibility (Section 6 (b)) for the development and implementation of the EEO program. Overall responsibility for the implemen- tation of equity and diversity in the ABC remains with the Managing Director and the Divisional Directors. Managers retain respon- sibility for equity and diversity activities and performance within their areas. Within the Human Resources Division, the Manager Diversity, Chrissie Tucker, and the Indigenous Employment Co-ordinator, Paul Brant, provide specialist services to assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of the equity and diversity program. Human Resources state managers assist with the program in their local areas. All staff continue to be responsible for equity and diversity in their areas, and for maintaining a working environment that is free of discrimi- nation, harassment and bullying behaviour. Grievance Contact Officers provide information and support to staff regarding discrimination, harassment and bullying matters as well as grievance procedures. Equity and diversity contacts in Divisions are responsible for the co-ordination of their individual plans. Strategies included in the Equity and Diversity Management Plan focus on commit- ment from senior management, to be demonstrated by leadership and example, and that all staff have access to equity and diversity information and awareness training. The cross-divisional Indigenous group, the Bonner Committee, assists the Corporation with recommendations and 8 monitoring of Indigenous employment, programming and services. The committee consists of Indigenous staff from around Australia and reports to the Strategy and Communications Division. Applicants for ABC positions are required to address a criterion relating to equity and diversity principles as part of the interview process and senior executives are required to assist the Corporation’s targets and strategies within the context of performance manage- ment. 9 Communication There are three actions included in the Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987 that require the ABC to communicate and consult regarding its overall Equity and Diversity program: Informing Employees (Section 6(a)); Consultation with Employees (Section 6(d)); and Consultation with Trade Unions (Section 6(c)) Informing Employees During 2004-05 ABC employees were provided with a range of information on equity and diversity policies, activities and issues by a variety of formats and methods. The previous year’s activities were reported in the Equity and Diversity Annual Report, which was tabled in the House of Representatives on 17 February 2005 and the Senate on 8 March 2005 and in the ABC’s Annual Report. All staff emails and the ABC’s intranet provide the most common methods of disseminating information to managers and staff. The Human Resources web pages contain an array of policies, publications and forms and the recently introduced complaint and grievance resolution “one-stop shop”. The occasional Human Resources newsletter and other relevant information are distrib- uted to managers to
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