The government has released plans to address a lack of cultural diversity in the senior ranks of the Australian Public Service.
About 25% of the APS come from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds — a similar portion to the overall population.
But Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) data shows that CALD employees are overrepresented in technical and specialist jobs, and underrepresented in positions with decision-making authority.
CALD employees account for more than 30% of compliance, regulation, accounting and finance staff, and almost 40% of ICT staff.
In comparison, CALD staff account for 11% of senior executives, 20% of the policy job family and 17% of the communications and marketing workers.
The Public Service Act 1999 requires the Public Service Commissioner “to foster an APS workforce that reflects the diversity of the Australian population”
Commissioner Gordon de Brouwer said he’s taking this mandate seriously.
“The more culturally and ethnically diverse we are, the more different our experience will be, the more varied our perspectives, the more engaged our worldviews,” he said.
“Such plurality of views and approaches strengthens the foundations of our thinking and reasoning, gives greater breadth to our policy debates and enriches our program implementation and service delivery.
“Drawing on the full breadth of talent available and reflecting the people we serve, can only enhance our work and our lives.”
The CALD employment strategy and action plan sets out clear standards and expectations that the APS needs to better reflect the community it serves.
It lays out practical actions for the whole service to achieve 15% CALD representation in SES positions within four years.
The introduction of an APS-wide statement of leadership to support cultural diversity will help create a sense of accountability for actions taken, or not taken.
Building an APS-wide CALD champion network and a curated collection of multimedia learning resources would seek to build cultural understanding across the public service.
A more direct approach to affirmative action through sponsorship of promising CALD employees, and raising awareness of the benefits of different leadership styles would create new pathways for workers to ascend to leadership.
The APSC will lead efforts to modernise the recruitment and promotion process, by broadening merit assessments to include things like emotional intelligence, cross-cultural awareness and cultural intelligence.
The hope is this will lead to a reportable benchmark of 24% for CALD representation in the SES in the longer term.
Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said the secretaries board had committed to the changes.
“The APSC will support agencies to implement, monitor and report on progress to ensure transparency and accountability,” she said.
“This is a call to action for all APS employees to be inclusive leaders who embrace the wealth of cultural, racial and linguistic diversity within.
“This will strengthen capability and deliver on government priorities for the Australian community.”
APSC announced the creation of the strategy late last year. NSW has noted similar problems in their own public services, as well as rampant bullying and harassment of CALD workers.
Translation failures during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the direct consequences of a lack of cultural knowledge within the wider service.
READ MORE:
