Commitment to diversity equity and inclusion
- Our Road to Diversity Equity and Inclusion was launched in September 2023
- We created a new DEI Council to oversee delivery and guide our direction
We have released our DEI foundational document - Road to Diversity Equity and Inclusion: Main Roads DEI Framework. The new framework was based on extensive consultation across the organisation that resulted in eight priority diversity groups being identified. This included two areas not previously specifically identified, neurodiverse people and mature people.
Through our framework we are committed “to have a safe workplace that recognises and encourages our diverse skills and perspectives and creates a culture of belonging and respect”
Each diversity reference group (DRGs), has its own advocate drawn from Corporate Executive, a champion who is a senior member of staff and is supported by a group of interested people with lived experience in that area or are keen to make a difference to our workplace culture.
The framework is built around four principles, being:
- designing for diversity
- leading strongly and with accountability
- engaging meaningfully
- celebrating diversity
Part of a transparent approach in developing a framework and supporting action plans is recognising we don't have all the answers. In fact we are not sure if we know the right questions to ask. This was made clear at a kick-off workshop in November, as we set about initially defining roles for each area and discussing the initial suite of actions we would look to implement.
We are committed to increase the representation of diversity groups and foster a truly representative workforce by providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace culture.
