A gendered look at the Gari Yala dataset.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
DCA acknowledges the Custodians of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respect to them, and to Elders past, present and emerging.
DCA supports the proper recognition of the unique status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our country’s history and of ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices are central in any discussions around recognition and reconciliation.
Many organisations are committed to engaging with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and providing employment opportunities is a key part of this engagement.
But genuine inclusion is about more than simply creating employment opportunities.
Genuine inclusion must begin with reconciliation. There can be no genuine workplace inclusion while our First Nations Peoples are excluded from opportunities, and we as a nation do not address race relations, equality and equity, unity, institutional integrity, and historical acceptance.
It also requires creating an organisation that understands and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Providing a safe and welcoming environment should be a critical part of any workplace’s diversity and inclusion strategy and planning.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people have experienced significant exclusion from Australian society for many years. Ending that exclusion is foundational to D&I.
DCA Research
D&I 101 - Collecting Diversity Data
DCA's Guide to Conducting a Diversity Survey - How to ask your employees about their diversity.
Gari Yala (Speak the Truth): Centreing the experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians at work
New research from the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research and Diversity Council Australia is speaking truth to Australian employers about the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
Inclusion@Work Index 2019-2020
How inclusive are Australian workplaces for a diversity of employees, and how has this changed over time? What impact does inclusion have on performance and wellbeing? The 2019-2020 Inclusion@Work Index surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,000 Australian workers to find out.
Creating inclusive multi-faith workplaces
This resource provides guidance to Australian workplaces about how to deal with a range of common faith-related queries, and also to provide workplaces with principles to help balance issues where conflicting rights might intersect.
Inclusion@Work Index 2017-2018
The DCA-Suncorp Inclusion@Work Index 2017-2018 is a landmark study, providing the first-ever national benchmarks for Australian workplaces in regards to the age, cultural background, disability status, gender, Indigenous background, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity of workers.
WordsAtWork - Building inclusion through the power of language
DCA has developed a new Words At Work campaign for workplaces to show how inclusive language can improve workplace culture and drive productivity.
Closing the Work Gap in Corporate Australia
Diversity Council Australia partnered with Reconciliation Australia and Lend Lease on new research called, Closing the Work Gap in Corporate Australia. The research involved conducting interviews with Indigenous thought leaders, and engagement and employment practitioners.
Engaging Aboriginal Australians in our workplace
Sponsored by National Australia Bank, this landmark research project revealed the motivations and aspirations of Aboriginal Australians to provide valuable information to help build sustainable employment strategies for the future.
Case Studies
Case Study - Building Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness at ANZ
Case Study
18 Jan 2022
A case study on how ANZ elevated their focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion from theory to practice and implemented change that really works.
Herbert Smith Freehills taking action to improve ethnic diversity across the firm
Case Study
20 Sep 2021
In the wake of the tragic killing of George Floyd in May 2020, Herbert Smith Freehills’ CEO and the broader leadership team began a deeper conversation with their people about improving ethnic diversity across the firm.
Indigenous women making their mark as tradies
Case Study
10 Apr 2019
A national Indigenous recruitment service is successfully placing Aboriginal women into a typically male-dominated workforce through an intensive traineeship.
News
King & Wood Mallesons Social Mobility Programs
News articles
13 Jul 2021
As part of King & Wood Mallesons’ commitment to making a positive impact in the communities in which they live, work and operate, the firm has established three social mobility programs, Waiwa Mudena, the KWM First Nations Fellowship and the KWM School of Opportunity.
It’s time for Indigenous people to speak the truth about their workplace experience. And it’s time for workplaces to listen
Media releases
17 Nov 2020
A new report, out today, from the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research and DCA is speaking truth to Australian employers about the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
Black Lives Matter and ways to make genuine progress on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workplace inclusion
News articles
25 Jun 2020
The US Black Lives Matter movement has shone a light on continued injustices and inequalities experienced by Indigenous people in our society. How can we ensure that this moment does not pass by without genuine progress on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workplace inclusion?
Perspectives
Cultural allyship of Indigenous people in an election year - and beyond
Blog
20 Jan 2022
2022 is an important year for cultural allyship. Read how and why.
NAIDOC 2021: On ancient cultures, and modern workplaces
Blog
06 Jul 2021
By Professor Deen Sanders. Professor Sanders says every person benefits from living in better relationship with their community and country. So how do we do that in the context of the present day workplace?
NAIDOC 2021: From standing alone to standing together
Blog
05 Jul 2021
John Paul Janke has always had a special connection to NAIDOC Week; here, he shares what this week means to him.
Coming events
16 Feb 2022
In the first of a series of Case Study Conversations, we will deep dive into ANZ’s approach to effectively building cultural awareness, why they went down this path, what was achieved and lessons learnt along the way.
21 Mar 2022
At this event, DCA will launch new research on how to combat racism in the workplace. The Black Lives Matter movement is pushing organisations to do better when it comes to confronting racism in the workplace. We will look at the cost of racism to workplaces, and consider how organisations can effectively respond to racism at work.
29 Mar 2022
This Indigenous Network event will look at the role of non-indigenous people in supporting and creating cultural safety and belonging. It will unpack lessons in leadership, from allies and provide practical advice.
23 Jun 2022
At this event, we will explore truth telling in the workplace, drawing on the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as well as DCA research findings on their experiences of harassment and/or discrimination at work.
29 Sep 2022
At this event, we will hear about the latest Closing the Gap report, drilling down on progress to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in work.
Webcasts from past events
28 Sep 2021
Australia has much to learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and workplaces are no exception. At this event we will explore personal experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and truths from both a historical and modern perspective and how these untold truths can become barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the workplace.
24 Jun 2021
At this event we will be delving into Reconciliation Australia's ‘2021 State of Reconciliation in Australia report’ and drawing on data from the 2020 Australian Reconciliation Barometer.