Page 2439 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2022
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I will say at the outset that my amendment simply seeks to extend the report-back date that Mr Cain had included and Mr Braddock had included, which was originally August 2023. Noting that Mr Cain’s amendment added in a little bit more effort, we wanted to keep timelines realistic here—noting that these are very small teams—with already very big agendas—that will be doing the work. So we want to work in a way that is achievable but certainly realistic, noting their pressures. I thank both members for their agreement to that.
In making my comments today, I also want to make some important observations about the matters raised in the motion and particularly in Mr Braddock’s speech, including taking the opportunity to share some of the significant work and progress which is already ongoing in these areas. This is not braggadocio, but some facts and context while recognising there is more we can do.
We wholeheartedly agree with Mr Braddock that diversity should be reflected in all aspects of public life. That goes without saying. The ACT public service is proud to be a progressive and inclusive employer. Workforce diversity and respectful workplace culture are essential to our employee value proposition, and data collection is key to realising those values.
Indeed, the most recent data shows that 23 per cent of the ACT public service workforce identify as culturally and linguistically diverse, which I will hereby refer to as CALD, which includes those born overseas or have a parent born overseas and those who speak a language other than English at home. This does not quite reflect the census population data, which we have just learned in recent weeks is higher, but it is not wildly divergent, either.
This percentage has been steadily increasing over time, and I think it does demonstrate the ACT government’s continuing commitment to CALD diversity. The highest number of CALD staff work as nurses, followed by administrative officers and general service officers working across a wide range of areas within the service. A deep-dive analysis of the 2021 staff survey revealed that people from CALD backgrounds had the highest levels of employee engagement, commitment and loyalty of any workforce group. The survey also showed that culturally diverse staff have a more positive sentiment towards inclusivity, with above average numbers of respondents agreeing that their organisation supports and actively promotes a safe and inclusive workplace culture. The survey found that, after Australian, the most common cultures in the ACT public service workforce are English, Indian, Chinese and Irish, with a total of 19 per cent of survey respondents who speak a language other than English.
As many members will know, CALD data is also collected for the purposes of the ACT Wellbeing Framework. Support for multiculturalism is a key indicator under the wellbeing domain of identity and belonging. The findings for this indicator, as part of the 2020 Living Well in the ACT Region survey undertaken by the University of Canberra, suggest that most ACT residents feel that Canberra is a welcoming city, including those from non-English speaking backgrounds. In fact, respondents from non-English speaking countries returned the highest response, with 88 per cent agreeing that Canberra accepts people from different cultures, which was
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