Our People

Developing Our People

We are focused on building and developing a high performing workplace that consists of a highly skilled, professional, and ethical workforce. We seek to find the right people with the ability to adapt to changing business, technology, and environmental needs and who thrive in a welcoming and belonging workplace.

We look to provide the best possible development opportunities including supporting people with nationally recognised qualifications either through fully funded or study assistance options.

Learning Management System

In the last year we have doubled the number of modules available in our corporate learning management system. We now have 130 modules covering topics from engineering through to safety, environment, compliance, integrity, and wellness. This year we included a new series of modules providing essential knowledge in fundamental road and traffic engineering principles.

New Regional Leadership Programs

Building on the work from previous years in the Mid-West Gascoyne region the management team from Goldfields Esperance region are now undertaking the leadership program which features a combination of personal coaching and group workshops for individual self-awareness and team cohesion.

Delivery also commenced on a new, cross-regional leadership program providing support and growth opportunities to participants committed to a region and with potential to move into senior regional management roles over the near to medium term. In addition, the cross-regional participants can share ideas and provide peer support which can in turn support their regional roles. These programs support our workforce planning process and support the goal of creating rewarding regional career pathways for our high potential future leaders.

Road Construction Training Program

This program continued to deliver training for asset management, maintenance, and project delivery staff along with our development employees. The program provides the underpinning knowledge to support the supervision and management of works and the direct delivery of network maintenance. Further development of the training content occurred this year with the introduction of granular pavements and drainage, into the regionally delivered course. In addition, design of a new course on geo-technical investigations is being created and its delivery is planned for early next year.

Management Skills Development

Development commenced on a new program to support and enhance the people skills of our managers. The program content responds directly to data gained from the Wellbeing in the Workplace survey undertaken earlier this year and will help managers to better understand their responsibilities for employee psychosocial safety and the power of meaningful conversations with team members to develop team harmony and focus. A public tender was arranged to identify suitable providers and delivery will commence early in the new financial year.

Diversity and Inclusion

We encourage and recognise that a diverse workforce is integral to our success. We are committed to increasing the representation of diversity groups within our workforce and to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace culture to foster a truly representative workforce.

Our current approach focuses on six priority areas to increase engagement and representation of:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• women
• people with disability
• youth
• people from culturally diverse backgrounds
• lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+).

In the year ahead we have committed to the development of a new Diversity Equity and Inclusion framework to include two new diversity focus groups being Neurodiversity and the mature workforce.

Employment Opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

We have a history of consulting with Aboriginal Elders across the State which demonstrates our commitment to create employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in both Metropolitan and regional localities. Examples of this and other initiatives are outlined below.

• Development of our Aboriginal Employment and Retention Plan 2021-24 to improve the level of direct employment and meaningful Aboriginal employment and training opportunities
• Utilising the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 to ensure Aboriginal people are prioritised in key recruitment campaigns resulting in several recruitment actions under section 50 and 51 of the Act to recruit Aboriginal people for entry level to senior roles across the organisation
• Work with our stakeholders to create culturally secure recruitment campaigns
• Appointment of Aboriginal people to undertake Aboriginal Engagement roles
• The transition to in-house maintenance contracts in our regions which has provided a tangible opportunity to drive jobs and economic growth in the regions – already 20 people of Aboriginal descent have been engaged in our Wheatbelt and Mid-West Gascoyne Regions.
• The Transport Portfolio Aboriginal Business and Employment Advisory Group which includes 12 prominent Aboriginal business representatives explores innovative, collaborative knowledge sharing to increase the number of job opportunities we provide for Aboriginal people
• Embedding targets into our construction contracts to ensure Aboriginal participation is a focus
• Enhanced procurement and tendering processes to enable wider access for Aboriginal businesses and supply chains
• Working with local Aboriginal businesses in the Kimberley to negotiate employment for the East Kimberley Aboriginal Job Pathways (EKJP) and Djaringo trainees, on construction projects
• Establishing a partnership with North Metropolitan TAFE to develop Certificate III in Engineering – Technical footprint for 2024 for Aboriginal Engineering Trainees at Main Roads
• Committed to submitting for Aboriginal Trainees from the Public Service Commission Aboriginal Traineeship Program Solid Futures
• A new Career Strategy will be focusing on engaging with Aboriginal students and graduates to promote opportunities for Aboriginal people through our development employee programs

Reconciliation Action Plan 2021-2023

With the support of our Aboriginal Participation Policy, we have successfully delivered initiatives from our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2021-2023 The Road to Jobs and Business Opportunities’. We have an agency wide commitment to achieving the RAP actions with the support provided by the Aboriginal Business and Employment Advisory Group (TP-ABEAG) members, Elders, members of the community, and staff from across the state. We are also focusing attention on increasing our direct Aboriginal employment and supporting employees are already with us. Achievements and activities are outlined below.

• Delivery of our Aboriginal Employment and Retention Plan 2021-24 which works to improve the level of direct employment and meaningful Aboriginal employment and training opportunities.
• Awareness of available cultural leave
• Aboriginal design elements are included in job advertisements, aiming to attract Aboriginal applicants.
• Our Employee Assistance Program provider People Sense have engaged qualified Aboriginal counsellors to support Aboriginal employees
• Continuing membership of Supply Nation and to engage with many Aboriginal owned businesses across all our business activities. We actively seek direct procurement opportunities for Aboriginal businesses and through our supply chain to enhance our engagement and greater economic participation opportunities for Aboriginal peoples.
• We engaged Kambarang Services to deliver cross Cultural Awareness Training called “Walking Together in Partnership” delivered in March 2023 to over 50 participants.
• All new trainees and graduates participate in Cultural Awareness and receive Acknowledgment of Country by the Aboriginal Employment and Diversity Advisor
• A new portfolio login screen that incorporates Acknowledgement of Country was created

A copy of our Reconciliation Action Plan and regular updates are available on our website.

National Reconciliation Week 2023 – Be A Voice for Generations

We recognised National Reconciliation Week (NRW) by hosting a variety of events including an Acknowledgement of Sorry Day, with special guest performer Phil Bartlett, the Singing Counsellor. Those in attendance, including some of our portfolio and advisory group guests, enjoyed Phil’s live music with a bonus sing-along while listening to some of his stories. We also got to try some native-inspired ice creams on offer by Aboriginal business, Gather & Co. At the Office of Major Transport Infrastructure Delivery (OMTID), Noongar Elder Dennis Simmons performed a Welcome to Country and played the guitar while singing in the Noongar language. In addition, many of our project construction teams also hosted events for NRW, which involved listening to yarns by Aboriginal Elders, holding smoking ceremonies and providing catered events to bring teams together. The Transport Portfolio Aboriginal Engagement Team joined a Department of Transport cohort at the Kings Park Walk for Reconciliation event.

NAIDOC 2023 – For Our Elders

In addition to events held across our regions and project offices, we held two large events in celebration of NAIDOC Week where we invited several Aboriginal Elders to share insight into the theme “For Our Elders”. Staff at our OMTID office enjoyed a Q&A panel led by Mike Kapitola, Project Director and two Traditional Custodians from the Causeway Pedestrian and Cyclist Bridges Project. At Head Office staff also gathered to hear Whadjuk Elder, Neville Collard perform a Welcome to Country; followed by keynote speakers and Traditional Owners Farley Garlett and Barbara Bynder from Karrda Pty Ltd, who presented on the importance of engagement with Elders. During the week, we also had several of our assets light up red, yellow, and black in celebrating and recognising the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Disability Confident Recruitment

We are in the final stages of the accreditation process to become a disability confident recruiter. With the support of the Australian Disability Network, this review will ensure all barriers to attracting, employing, and retaining people with a disability are removed throughout our recruitment processes. The review also provides an opportunity for the internal recruitment team and key hiring managers to improve their attraction and selection techniques to promote best practice in promoting inclusivity.

Multicultural Diversity

As part of the Western Australian public sector, we are committed to support the capacity and contribution of people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) backgrounds. We have 1,454 employees, with 244 being culturally diverse and we continue to progress with our action plan to raise awareness and promote the benefits of a culturally diverse workforce. Staff across the state proudly wore orange, to show their support for Harmony Week 2022 to celebrate our vibrant multicultural community.

Women in Transport

We continue our focus on attracting, retaining, and developing women for greater representation in technical and leadership positions. Thirty-three percent of our staff identify as female, and we want to see those numbers increase. Research conducted in collaboration with the ANZSOG Executive Masters Programme outlines strategic recommendations in the “Enhancing the Participation of Women in the Transport Sector” report. These recommendations include having visible female leadership, addressing biases, using creative approaches, and the establishment of networks to support female participation. We are actively committed to developing and implementing approaches and initiatives to increase participation of women.

On 8 March 2023 we recognised International Women’s Day and celebrated women’s achievements and our vision to improve opportunities and conditions for women across the organisation. We created a #EmbracingEquity video featuring insights from our staff, who discussed the significance of equity and diversity in the workplace.

LGBTQIA+ Inclusion

We have made significant advancements with LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the last 12 months, including creating a Rainbow Ally Network. To date we have almost 80 people who have shown their support, made themselves more informed and become Allies across the organisation by undertaking training and wearing rainbow lanyards and cards at their workstations indicating they are an Ally. We formed part of the Portfolio Ride with Pride with a Transperth bus leading the way as we marched in the Pride Parade. It was a great experience, and we are already planning for an even bigger and better event in 2023. Nearly 300 of us took part in our first Workplace Equity Survey allowing us to benchmark against some of Australia’s largest companies. These achievements are the foundation for creating a workplace that clearly demonstrates how we contribute to creating a safer, more respectful, aware, and informed workplace.