State Growth Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan 2024

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan 2024

State Growth is committed to achieving a safe, inclusive, equal, respectful, and representative workplace.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 outlines our plan for achieving this vision, focusing on three action areas.

A diverse and inclusive workplace.
A safe and respectful workplace.
An inclusive workplace culture.

To achieve these action areas, we will focus on:

Attraction, recruitment and retention - Increasing and retaining talent representative of a wide range of diverse backgrounds within our workplace.
Providing guidance and support - Supporting our managers and employees by providing the underlying information, structures, strategies and support mechanisms needed to be inclusive and equitable.
Raising awareness - Growing our understanding of, communicating, promoting and celebrating diversity, equity and inclusion.
Building partnerships and engagement - Connecting with our people, experts and our clients to learn and support, as well as shape our approach and actions.
Building skills and capabilities - Providing the underlying tools for our managers and employees to develop their knowledge, skills and practice so that diversity, equity and inclusion becomes second nature.
Ensuring good governance and building evidence and accountability - Building a strong foundation of leadership, resources and evidence to support and inform our work in this area.

Our Journey

State Growth is committed to building an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. In 2022 we identified and started work on some activities which are now becoming business as usual in State Growth. In 2023 we built on the actions from 2022 and implemented several new initiatives.

In 2024 we will continue to:

Embed the activities which were implemented in 2022 and 2023.
Contribute to, participate and promote Tasmanian State Service (TSS) diversity related initiatives, including targeted employment initiatives, such as the Tasmanian State Service Aboriginal Employment Portal, youth employment programs, and the Disability Employment Portal.
Share information and learnings from Inter-Agency groups, such as the Whole of Government LGBTIQ+ Reference Group and Gender Reform Steering Committee and Workplace Respect Equality Standards Steering Committee to increase our understanding of key issues and shape our approach and actions.
Build relationships with organisations within the diversity sector including but not limited to JobAccess and Migrant Resource Centre.
Provide and promote flexible working arrangements, workplace adjustments and inclusive employment policies for our employees, particularly in identified groups that are under-represented.
Ensure State Growth managers and employees are aware of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion through the provision of regular updates on various related matters, including encouraging opportunities to learn from each other, considering how different business areas promote diversity and inclusion.

2024 Action Plan

*note actions are not in order of importance and several actions below link to the broader People and Culture program

Action type	Actions		Responsibility	We will measure progress using/against:	Key outcomes aligned to strategy	Due Date
Support our commitment of a safe, inclusive, equal, respectful, and representative workplace	1	Develop D,E&I Strategy 2025-2027	D,E&I Leadership Group People and Culture	Strategy finalised by December 2024 Availability of information on iconnect Agency engagement	Set the direction to make State Growth a safe, inclusive, equal, respectful, and representative workplace	Dec 2024
Raising awareness	2	Develop Calendar of Significant Dates for 2024/2025. Promote dates and organise events as appropriate	People and Culture D,E&I Working Group Employee Resource Groups	Calendar created and distributed Employee feedback and survey data Availability of information on iconnect Participation data	Connections and partnerships are built with the community to learn and shape our approach and actions	Ongoing
Building skills and capability	3	Provide unpaid internship placements in State Growth including the Study Tasmania International Alumni Ambassador Program – led by Study Tasmania	Study Tasmania People and Culture	Fill the available internship placements to ensure that it is a valuable program Evaluation to be completed after the internships	Managers and employees have the knowledge, skills and practice so that diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded into our culture	Dec 2024
Building skills and capability	4	Deliver current identified D,E&I training priorities including, JobAccess Disability Awareness, Respect@StateGrowth, Culture and Bias and Trauma Informed Practice training, in line with broader People and Culture training program	People and Culture SSMO – The Training Consortium	Participation data Feedback provided by participants	Managers and employees have the knowledge, skills and practice so that diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded into our culture	Throughout 2024
Building skills and capability	5	Develop and implement 2024 D,E&I training program	People and Culture D,E&I Working Group	Opportunities identified Participation data Feedback provided by participants	Managers and employees have the knowledge, skills and practice so that diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded into our culture	Develop – end Mar 2024 Implement – Apr to Dec 2024
Ensuring good governance and building evidence and accountability	6	Establish a Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG)	People and Culture	ERG established Input into disability related DAIP actions Contribution to matters relating to employees with disability	Employees with a disability have a voice and actively contribute to identifying and delivering disability related actions	End April 2024
Attraction, recruitment and retention	7	Attract, engage, support and retain mature workers, taking into account the department’s Employee Value Proposition project as part of the People and Culture work program.	People and Culture	Released education pieces on the value that mature workers bring to the Department Recruitment and employee data Availability of information on iconnect TSS Survey data	Our people are representative of a wide range of diverse backgrounds	June 2024
Building partnerships and engagement	8	Investigate opportunities for partnerships with Aboriginal organisations and businesses to increase local employment opportunities for Aboriginal people	People and Culture, in consultation with SSMO	Established and new partnership data and information	Connect with our people, experts and our clients to learn and support, as well as shape our approach and actions.	Throughout 2024
Providing guidance and support	9	Explore what actions could be undertaken to better support the various religious and cultural practices of employees	People and Culture	Conduct focus groups Post surveys to find out what culture people identify with, and if they feel their cultural needs are being met by the Department	Our workplaces are inclusive and equitable for all	June 2024
Providing guidance and support	10	Implementing inclusive toilet signage in State Growth worksites	People and Culture Facilities	Installation of inclusive signage complete	Our workplaces are inclusive and equitable for all	June 2024
Providing guidance and support	11	Develop department position on assistance dogs in the workplace and supporting resources	People and Culture	Position developed and availability of information on iconnect	Our workplaces are inclusive and equitable for all	September 2024
Building skills and capability	12	Support the implementation of the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework including the developing of child-friendly resources and incorporating the Universal Principle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people safety: providing an environment that ensures that the right to Cultural Safety of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children and young people is respected.	People and Culture Strategy Policy and Coordination	Progress report against identified plans Project plan milestones	The right to Cultural Safety of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children and young people is respected	Ongoing
Ensuring good governance and building evidence and accountability	13	Analyse 2024 TSS Employee Survey results from D,E&I perspective, identify changes from 2023 results and provide recommendations to D,E&I Leadership Group.	People and Culture	Comparison against 2023 results	We use evidence to inform our strategy and action plans	May to July 2024
Ensuring good governance and building evidence and accountability	14	Develop D,E&I workforce profile report. Work with the Department of Justice and State Service Management Office to develop approach to collection of diversity data from employees.	People and Culture	Report in place Ability to collect diversity data in place, along with education program	We use evidence to inform our strategy and action plans	April 2024 December 2024
Raising awareness	15	Develop WERS Action Plan 2024, following advice from Our Watch as part of TSS Review.	People and Culture	To be confirmed once the plan is finalised	We place gender equality and respect at the heart of our workplaces	Throughout 2024
Raising awareness	16	Lead the organisation of the Tasmanian State Service Walk for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and children 2024		Event occurs Participation data	We place gender equality and respect at the heart of our workplaces	November 2024
Building partnerships and engagement	17	Develop a policy position which confirms State Growth’s commitment to supporting LGBTIQA+ employees		Position developed and availability of information on iconnect	Our workplaces are inclusive and equitable for all	Throughout 2024

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