Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool

Based on international best practice, this tool is designed to support employers, managers and human resources personnel as they work to promote cultural diversity and challenge racism in the workplace.

Originally launched in 2014, the Australia Human Rights Commission released an updated version of this tool in 2022. The content, form and function of the tool were updated with the aim of increasing usability and user engagement, and to provide organisations with current information and resources to engage with conversations on cultural diversity and anti-racism. The new tool was informed by research and consultations, and guided by the expertise of an Expert Advisory Group. See information about the Tool Expert Advisory Group.

The tool itself is designed to be completed by staff members with oversight and/or awareness of organisational planning, policies, recruitment and retention processes such as a senior manager, human resources manager or diversity officer. However, we recommend that these users create a multi-level team to support the completion of the tool, ensuring that diverse perspectives, in particular those of First Nations people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, are incorporated.

If you have any questions about the tool or would like to provide feedback, reach out to the campaign team here.

 

 

The assessment comprises of 52 questions and will take approximately 40 minutes to complete. You can save your progress and resume it at any time.

Good Practice Areas

Good practice area #1

Good practice area #1
Acknowledging the unique position of First Nations peoples and the contributions they bring to a workplace
case studies

CASE STUDY
ABC: Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is Australia's national public broadcaster. The ABC has offices in every Australian state and territory, and employs the equivalent of approximately 4300 full-time employees.

The ABC’s Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) champions initiatives that recognise and embrace Australia’s Indigenous history and cultures. This includes the ABC’s commitment to Indigenous content across its media platforms, strengthening employment and business opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and building closer relationships with Indigenous communities. The Elevate RAP also includes a new commitment to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, voices and names within the ABC’s programs, so that this may become a part of the vocabulary of the nation. The Plan has been operational since July 2019. The ABC is one of only... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
ABC: Bonner Committee
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is Australia's national public broadcaster. The ABC has offices in every Australian state and territory, and employs the equivalent of approximately 4300 full-time employees.

The Bonner Committee was first established in 2002. Its name is a mark of respect for the late Neville Bonner AO, who was Australia’s first Aboriginal Senator and the ABC’s only Aboriginal Board Director to date.

The Committee is the ABC’s primary advisory and representative body on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, content, and communities, with a specific responsibility for monitoring progress against the ABC’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Its membership is a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff, from content and administrative support, located in all parts of Australia. In choosing members, the Bonner Committee seeks expressions of interest from staff who... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
City of Stirling - Reconciliation Action Plan
The City of Stirling is a local government area in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It is the largest local government by population in WA and the 17th largest in Australia. The City of Stirling employs approximately 890 full time equivalent staff.

The City of Stirling adopted its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2010 and began implementing its third RAP in 2021. The plan is comprised of transparent and accountable deliverables to recognise the rich history and culture of First Nations People and improve... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
Western Australia Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage - Centring First Nations expertise
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage is the State Government agency responsible for planning and managing all land use and heritage considerations within Western Australia. The Department employs the equivalent of approximately 840 full time staff, with head offices in Perth and regional offices located around the State.

The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (the Department) advocates for the participation of Aboriginal people in public employment—in a wide range of roles, and at all levels. The unique skills and knowledge of Aboriginal people add significant value to... Read the full case study >>

Good practice area #2

Good practice area #2
Organisational learning: Understanding the need
case studies

CASE STUDY
Women of Colour Australia: Workplace Survey
Women of Colour Australia (WoCA) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in August 2020 by Brenda Gaddi (she/her), a first-generation migrant from Manila, the Philippines. WoCA envisions a world where girls and women of colour are afforded equitable opportunities to reach their full potential. WoCA is currently run by 138 volunteers including its Managing Director, Brenda Gaddi (she/her).

The first step is understanding how racism plays out in the workplace

Conversations about the pay gap for women and gender equality in the workplace are familiar to all Australians. Equally well documented is the toll that the pandemic has had (and is still having) on women’s careers around the country. However, this rhetoric has always been centred around white women. Terms such as intersectionality... Read the full case study >>

Good Practice Area #3

Good Practice Area #3
Leadership and commitment
case studies

CASE STUDY
Waverley Council: Multicultural Advisory Council
Waverley Council is a local government area in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, NSW. Waverley Council supports various services, programs and initiatives that aim to sustain and improve the quality of life for the Waverley community. Waverley council employs more than 700 people.

Founded in 1859, Waverley Council established a strong social justice agenda early on, pursuing strategies in response to concerns such as gentrification, loss of affordable housing, access to quality affordable care, support for vulnerable people and a culturally diverse, cohesive community. The Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) requires Council to represent the diverse needs of the local community, address the health and wellbeing needs of community members... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
University of Queensland: Cultural Inclusion Council
The University of Queensland is one of Australia’s leading research and teaching institutions. The University employs the equivalent of approximately 2,800 full-time staff. The University’s main campus is located in Brisbane, Queensland.

Aims of the Cultural Inclusion Council

The UQ Cultural Inclusion Council (CIC, The Council) provides a consultative mechanism for developing and implementing inclusion initiatives focused on culturally and linguistically diverse staff across the University of Queensland (UQ).

We aim to... Read the full case study >>

Good Practice Area #4

Good Practice Area #4
Strategy
case studies

CASE STUDY
Women of Colour Australia: Strategic Plan
Women of Colour Australia (WoCA) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in August 2020 by Brenda Gaddi (she/her), a first-generation migrant from Manila, the Philippines. WoCA envisions a world where girls and women of colour are afforded equitable opportunities to reach their full potential. WoCA is currently run by 138 volunteers including its Managing Director, Brenda Gaddi (she/her).

Developing strategies to promote cultural diversity and anti-racism

WoCA’s focus is to... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
ACON: Multicultural Engagement Plan
ACON is New South Wales’ leading LGBTQ+ health organisation specialising in HIV prevention, HIV support, mental health, safety, inclusion, alcohol and other drugs, and policy and research. ACON’s offices are located in metropolitan and regional areas across NSW. ACON employs over 150 employees.

ACON’s Multicultural Engagement Pan was developed to provide a three-year framework from 2021-2024 to guide the way the organisation engages with and empowers LGBTQ community members and staff from culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, migrant, and refugee backgrounds, and LGBTQ people of colour. 

The Plan was led and developed... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
UNSW: Anti-Racism Policy
The University of New South Wales is a public research university based in Sydney, NSW. The University’s main campus is located in Kensington, Sydney. The University employs the equivalent of 6693 Full Time Staff.

UNSW’s Anti-Racism Policy was first written in 1996 and primarily served to inform the university community of the institution’s obligations under anti-discrimination legislation.

In 2020, UNSW’s Division of Equity Diversity and Inclusion hosted a broad consultation... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
ABC: Diversity & Inclusion Plan
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is Australia's national public broadcaster. The ABC has offices in every Australian state and territory, and employs the equivalent of approximately 4300 full-time employees.

The ABC has established a governance structure to guide and track its approach and ensure top-down accountability for diversity and inclusion outcomes across the Corporation. Under this structure, the ABC’s Managing Director and Leadership Team hold overall responsibility for the Diversity and Inclusion program, with appropriate targets and strategies included in their... Read the full case study >>

Good Practice Area #5

Good Practice Area #5
Equitable hiring: Deploying an equity framework to find and select the best staff
case studies

CASE STUDY
DCA: Diversity Statement
DCA is the independent not-for-profit peak body leading diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We provide unique research, inspiring events and programs, curated resources and expert advice across all diversity dimensions to a community of over 950 member organisations.

As an organisation deeply committed to diversity and inclusion, we wanted to attract diverse applicants to DCA who share our values. To do this, DCA includes a statement in all our external job advertisements that specifically encourages people with lived experience of diversity to apply for roles within our organisation and emphasises our organisational commitment to inclusion and flexibility:

DCA is an inclusive employer. We encourage flexible working... Read the full case study >>

 

Good Practice Area #6

Good Practice Area #6
Equitable retention: Deploying an equity framework to keep the best staff
case studies

CASE STUDY
EY - Culturally Diverse Mentoring Program
Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY) is a multinational professional services network of member firms. Worldwide, EY has over 365,000 professionals across all member firms in more than 150 countries, and approximately 6,000 FTE in Australia.

Background

In EY Oceania, our people have 127 unique cultural backgrounds and speak 77 languages. While we are a very culturally diverse group, culturally diverse representation decreases in senior roles. We also know that the experience of those with a culturally diverse background is not the same as their... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
Western Australia Department of Transport - Championing diverse recruitment and participation
The Department of Transport (DoT) is part of the Western Australian Government’s Transport Portfolio, which includes Main Roads Western Australia, the Public Transport Authority, METRONET, the Westport Program, the Portfolio Strategic Projects Office, and the Office of Major Transport Infrastructure Delivery. Together the Transport Portfolio plans and delivers transport solutions for the prosperity of Western Australians. As a Portfolio partner, DoT co-ordinates and prioritises the transport-related infrastructure that supports our economy to grow.

Our commitment

DoT’s purpose is Empowering a Thriving Community, and we are committed to supporting and encouraging cultural diversity in the workplace.  At DoT, we enable the development and delivery of a successful and sustainable employment pathway, which follows a... Read the full case study >>

Good Practice Area #7

Good Practice Area #7
Developing a strong culture
case studies

CASE STUDY
SSI Group: Cultural and Wellbeing Leave
Settlement Services International (SSI) is a community organisation and social business that, with its subsidiary Access Community Services, provides life-changing human and social services for over 52,000 people in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. SSI employs almost 1,000 people. We support newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.

In May 2021, Settlement Services International (SSI) introduced three (3) days of paid Cultural and Wellbeing Leave for all staff and five (5) days for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues.

Interestingly, the idea was borne out of discussions in line with our reconciliation commitment to provide cultural support for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues beyond the minimum standard of 10 days’ unpaid ceremonial leave. This recognises it is important to provide space and time for people to honour... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
SSI: Choosing a training provider for your cultural diversity and inclusion strategy
Settlement Services International (SSI) is a community organisation and social business that, with its subsidiary Access Community Services, provides life-changing human and social services for over 52,000 people in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. SSI employs almost 1,000 people. We support newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.

The evidence is out that to reap the full benefits that a diverse workforce presents, employers have to work on building inclusion. A key activity in any diversity and inclusion strategy is training. But how do you pick a quality provider? 

The following tool is designed to guide you through a conversation with a prospective cultural diversity training provider with key questions and responses you would... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
Main Roads Western Australia - Internal Communications
Main Roads Western Australia is a statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia. Their role is to plan, build, maintain and operate WA’s State Road Network and they are one of the most geographically dispersed road agencies in the world, responsible for nearly 18,700 kilometers of road spread over 2.5 million square kilometers. Main Roads employs approximately 1200 staff, of which 14% are people born in countries which are not mainly English speaking*. Its main office is located in East Perth, WA.

The Main Roads Internal Communications team manage corporate messaging on our intranet to ensure staff are engaged and informed about the agency’s activities and... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
City of Palmerston - Celebrating diversity
The City of Palmerston is a local government area of the Northern Territory of Australia and is situated between the outer industrial areas of Darwin and the rural areas of Howard Springs. The City of Palmerston employs approximately 100 people.

While inclusion, diversity and accessibility are often referred to in the context of people with lived experience of disability, we recognise that these principles are equally as important for groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. We are committed to ensuring... Read the full case study >>

Good Practice Area #8

Good Practice Area #8
Embedding anti-racism in everyday practice
case studies

CASE STUDY
University of Sydney: Mosaic staff network
The University of Sydney is a public research university. Its main campus is located in Sydney, NSW. The University employs approximately 8100 fixed-term and continuing staff.

Creation

A group of empowered colleagues at the University of Sydney created the Mosaic network with the aim to challenge the status quo about experiences, support and progression of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) colleagues. Mosaic is a unique combination of a grassroots initiative with executive support.

The trigger was the Vice Chancellor’s Sponsorship Program at the University of Sydney, launched in 2016. The program was a University-wide targeted effort to support CALD women with potential to move into senior leadership roles. This brought together staff from across the university who may not have otherwise had the opportunity... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion: Me and White Supremacy Reading Group
The University of Technology, Sydney, is a public research university. The University employs the equivalent of approximately 4,400 full-time staff. The University’s main campus is located in Sydney, NSW.

What was it?

Responding to concerns raised regarding systemic racism within the university, as well as the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion’s (CSJI) role in contributing to anti-racism discourse in the broader community, the Social Impact Team (SIT) at the Centre, a team of approximately 9 members, decided we wanted to work on being actively anti-racist. The program was first conceptualised as an entry into better understanding what leads to racism, what it looks like and how to be anti-racist... Read the full case study >>

CASE STUDY
Fremantle Football Club - Supporting anti-racist action
The Fremantle Football Club, also known as the Dockers, is an Australian Rules Club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women’s Competition (AFLW). The team was founded in 1994 to represent the city of Fremantle, Western Australia, and currently employs 108 people.

What began as a discrete call out from the Fremantle Football Club to an individual who did not reflect the values or ideals of the Club, became a very powerful message played out nationally.

In July 2020, the Fremantle Dockers along with a number of other Clubs advised they would ‘take a knee’ prior to the game... Read the full case study >>

Good Practice Area #9

Good Practice Area #9
How the organisation responds to incidents of racism
case studies

CASE STUDY
SBS: Participatory design in developing employee complaints management process
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian public service broadcaster, a multiplatform media organisation with a free-to-air TV portfolio spanning five channels, an extensive radio network, and an innovative digital offering. SBS employs approximately 1200 permanent staff.

SBS is committed to never standing still in pursuit of greater inclusion – through its people and the way it operates, through the programming it produces, and as a positive force for change in the media sector. In 2021, SBS engaged an external inclusive design consulting firm to work with employees in reviewing and redesigning some key internal processes including recruitment, internal complaints management and content workflows. The objective was to ensure any barriers... Read the full case study >>

Good Practice Area #10

Good Practice Area #10
Evaluation and monitoring: Ensuring that your strategies work
case studies

CASE STUDY
Anonymous case study - External audit
This case study was anonymously submitted by a small community arts organisation operating in Sydney, NSW.

Our organisation has historically had a fairly white workforce, consisting predominantly of volunteers. In recent years, we have aimed to shift this, with a focus on showcasing underrepresented artists and creators through our work. Despite our programming and promotion of the work of these underrepresented artists and communities, we have faced challenges in building a more representative volunteer base... Read the full case study >>

Contribute to the tool

We are committed to constantly improving this tool and welcome your suggestions and feedback.

Share your feedback

We want to ensure that the Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool is providing our users with an accessible user experience.

Please share any feedback you have on the tool and related resources with the team.

Submit good practice examples

Does your workplace have good practice examples of your work on cultural diversity and anti-racism that you would like to share?

Many employers want to make their workplace as culturally safe and inclusive as possible, however putting these goals into practice can be challenging. By sharing your workplaces’ effective practices, or learnings on cultural diversity and anti-racism, you can support others in starting this process.

Your good practice case study could be featured in the tool (and can be featured anonymously).