The Inclusion Circle

On what felt like the wettest day of the year yesterday an intrepid group of DEI advocates and Human Rights experts came together for The Inclusion Circle forum on the topic of a National Human Rights Act for Australia. Kali Goldstone and Andrew Small laid out a compelling case for an Act and the potential positive impact it will have for the Australian community and businesses large and small. Did you know that Australia is one of the only liberal democracies without a federal human rights act? Key themes of the session included: * the necessity of modernising federal discrimination laws and the need to harmonise legislation * why current laws are opaque and don't recognise the intersectionality of the communities they serve or of discrimination, making it even harder for individuals to seek redress * where employers can step in - lobbying for legislative changes (in order to make it easier and simpler to build inclusive and safe workplaces) * and the importance of government developing legislation from a "human rights first" perspective. Andrew Small from KPMG also provided an employer example of what integrating a "human rights first" perspective in the workplace outlining the implications for businesses, and what a proactive approach to human rights that extends beyond employee welfare to include value chains and communities can look like. Overall, our speakers reinforced that human rights protection is a "whole of community" responsibility and that systemic change will continue to require collaboration across all sectors. Thanks again to Robyn Riddle and the fabulous team at Beaumont People for hosting us. #humanrights #inclusiveworkplaces

Forum topic: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗘𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀? Date: 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 Time: 8.30am networking and 9am forum start (finish at 10am) Host: Beaumont People Human Rights (HR) Acts have been passed in ACT, QLD and VIC. But Australia has no HR Act at the Federal level. A national HR Act would embed transparent human-rights decisions as part of public and organisational culture.    Join us for our September forum where we will discuss the implications of the proposed HR Act and the existing National Anti-Racism Framework for our organisations and workplace responsibilities.   Our panelists and topic areas:  1/ Kali Goldstone, Strategic Engagement and Advocacy Officer, Australian Human Rights Commission will share an overview of the legal framework and responsibilities and provide practical examples of the new National Anti-Racism framework in action. 2/ Andrew Small, Human Rights Manager, KPMG Australia will then share their approach to transitioning from laws to rights and his work in managing stakeholders within and outside the firm, promoting continuous improvement in managing human rights and modern slavery risks and impacts associated with engagements, operations, and supply chain. This is a member only event. However, if you wish to attend and are not yet a member, please get in touch and send us an email <info@theinclusioncircle.org.au>. Forum leads: Sahera Sumar and Susan Whillas 2024-25 TIC Exco Members: Alice Young, Jess Mayers, Alpana Modi Tyson, Carly Wilkinson, Chloe Piazza, Jason Teoh, FCPHR 🏳️🌈, Lesley Greig, Rashida Lowe, and Samantha Webster #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #HumanRightsActs

‘Supporting Diverse Communities: Applying a Culturally Competent Lens to Domestic and Family Violence Policies and Practices’ was the topic of this month's The Inclusion Circle Forum. With a full-room in-person and valuable contributions from those online, we started with an explainer of the recently introduced coercive control legislation and what it means for workplaces. Our speakers then provided valuable insights into policy and process considerations, and how to take the conversation to leaders and other stakeholders. Key Takeaways: 𝟭. 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: Sexual violence and coercive control significantly reduce productivity and mental health in the workplace, often without visible signs. 𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Minority groups face unique barriers in accessing effective support for violence, which often goes unaddressed in standard services (such as EAP). 𝟯. 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀: Current laws and workplace policies may overlook critical aspects of coercive control, particularly for children and older women, highlighting the need for more inclusive and comprehensive approaches. Actions: 𝟭. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀: Conduct training for employees and management to recognize the signs of violence and understand its impact. 𝟮. 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: Create support systems within the workplace that cater specifically to the needs of diverse communities, including LGBTQI+ and minority groups. 𝟯. 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀: Push for legislative changes and implement workplace policies that address the unique challenges posed by coercive control, ensuring that all affected groups are protected and supported. Thank you to our speakers Yumi Lee, Cilla Robinson and Jay Greensill for their insights; and also to the Atlassian team for hosting us and the amazing support they always provide to The Inclusion Circle. Our next forum will be on 26th September and the forum title is “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝘼𝙘𝙩 – 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙘𝙩! 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨.” Thank you to the TIC ExCo for all of the amazing support – it is an honour to be a part of such a cooperative and collaborative team - Alice, Susan, Alpana, Carly, Chloe, Jason, Lesley, Rashida, Sahera, Samantha, Vinisha - and of course to Man Mandy Fong, without whom we would be lost! And finally thank you to our members and those that joined us for this event for your valuable contribution, for the work you do and the difference you make; we look forward to welcoming you again to The Inclusion Circle.

Our 2024 August forum on "Supporting Diverse Communities: Applying a Culturally Competent Lens to Domestic and Family Violence Policies and Practices" will take place this Wednesday morning. We hope you are as excited as we are for this incredible opportunity to meet and learn from our distinguished speakers - Jay Greensill, Symmetra & LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Foundation, Yumi Lee, Older Women's Network NSW, and Cilla Robinson, King & Wood Mallesons. Many thanks to our members (and guests) for your registrations!

Forum topic: Supporting Diverse Communities: Applying a Culturally Competent Lens to Domestic and Family Violence Policies and Practices   Date: Wednesday, 14th August 2024 Time: 8.30am networking for 9am forum start (finish at 10am) Host: Atlassian Format: Face-to-face and Zoom Structure: Discussion   With the introduction of coercive control laws in NSW, and an increase in the understanding of the critical role of cultural competence in shaping effective domestic and family violence policies and practices in workplaces, this event is designed to offer an opportunity for attendees to bring questions and ideas to a facilitated audience discussion with experts (Jay Greensill, Symmetra & LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Foundation; Yumi Lee, Older Women's Network NSW; and Cilla Robinson, Centre for the Future of the Legal Profession) in the field. On registration, you will be provided with a link if you would like to pre-submit any questions prior to the discussion. This session will aim to explore: - The complex dynamics of coercive control and what the recently introduced NSW legislation means for workplaces; - The importance of cultural competence in designing and implementing workplace policies, processes and support avenues; and - How to effectively engage with diverse communities with sensitivity and respect. This is a member only event. However, if you wish to attend and are not yet a member, please get in touch and send us an email <info@theinclusioncircle.org.au>. Forum leads: Jess Mayers and Chloe Piazza 2024-25 TIC Exco Members: Alice Young, Susan Whillas, Alpana Modi Tyson, Carly Wilkinson, Jason Teoh, FCPHR 🏳️🌈, Lesley Greig, Rashida Lowe, Samantha Webster and Sahera Sumar #diversity #equity #inclusion #culturalcompetence #domesticandfamilyviolence #DFVprevention

Thank you to everyone who participated in our AGM yesterday and for Clayton Utz for hosting us. It was wonderful to spend time with our members and listen to our keynote speaker Mick Garnett, CEO Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT shared research on Inclusion in Adaptive sports before formal proceedings began. We warmly welcome our four new ExCo members Chloe Piazza (Sims Ltd), Jason Teoh, FCPHR 🏳️🌈 Teoh (Settlement Services International, Carly Wilkinson (Symmetra) and Sahera Sumar (Worldwide SHEroes) who bring such a wealth of capability and support to our committee. We are very excited about working together in the year ahead as there is still much DEI work to be done as we plan our 40 year birthday in 2025! Thank you to our fellow TIC Executive Committee members for your continued support working to make a difference. Please don't hesitate to join our circle and contribute to the making the change happen. info@theinclusioncircle.org.au #theinclusioncircle #40years #changemakers #wheelchairsportsnsw #wantnotneed #allsports #strengths #adaptivesports Rollover Commitee: Alice Young Susan Whillas Jess Mayers Lesley Greig Rashida Lowe Alpana Modi Tyson Mandy Wong The Observership Program participant 💼🧚♂️ Vinisha Rathod Rathod

Welcome Brett White, Jason Teoh, FCPHR 🏳️🌈, Julie Burton, Older Women's Network NSW, Reserve Bank of Australia (Primary contact: Maria Papageorgiou) and Telstra (Primary Contact: Ian Goshko)! We are beyond excited to have you all on board!"

How might we leverage Gen AI to elevate inclusion, accessibility, diversity and equity? That was The Inclusion Circle question posed to our expert panel of Stela SOLAR, Director, National AI Centre, Dr. Immaculate (Mac) Dadiso Motsi-Omoijiade, Senior Research Fellow, AI and Cyber Futures Institute, and Patrice den Hartog, Managing Director, Data and AI, Accenture Australia yesterday in alignment with Global Accessibility Awareness Day #GAAD. Key Highlights: Opportunities: • Personalisation - can support different learning styles and personalise content to skill/knowledge gaps • Increase confidence - using Gen AI to write resumes, bios where English is a second language, return to workers • Removes barriers - for people with disability eg dyslexia and other neurodivergence • Can actually remove bias - in recruitment, performance achievement • Expert services for remote communities • Inclusive language - can reword information to be more inclusive • DEI helper - can leverage functionality to analyse diversity data, summarise key themes, and make recommendations for consideration, design a plan or strategy to implement • Act with intentionality - with diverse teams designing AI data inputs, checking and reviewing, can turn the tables on inclusion and remove bias and improve diversity representation • Build products that enable access - eg ability describe content or images for those with low vision • Removes human bias Risks and Mitigations: • Being developed in the wild • Needs human sense checking and evaluating - can’t just accept the info as is • Needs guardrails and constraints • Leaders have a role to play and need to be aware of the challenges • Importance of Responsible AI actions to mitigate privacy, legal issues • Adopt practices to mitigate biases An enlightening session, better equipping our DEI professionals with knowledge and vigour to explore and be creative with emerging technologies to elevate inclusion and accessibility for a more equal and equitable future. Thanks to Accenture for hosting this session and bringing your expertise to our members and thank you again to our esteemed expert panelists. Save the date - 12 June - our Annual General Meeting Thanks also to our Committee for arranging this event and supporting on the day: Lesley Greig Alice Young Samantha Webster Rashida Lowe Man Mandy Fong 💼🧚♂️ Vinisha Rathod #inclusion #accessibility #GenAi #diversity #dei #equity

Speaker update! Don't miss this session on AI's role in advancing Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion on 16 May, either in-person or join us on zoom - info below. #aiforinclusion

Speaker Updates: Another and final speaker CONFIRMED! We are thrilled to announce that Stela SOLAR, National AI Centre (and Dr. Immaculate (Mac) Dadiso Motsi-Omoijiade, Charles Sturt University) will join the incredible speaker panel (which includes Barb Hyman, Sapia.ai and Patrice den Hartog, Accenture Australia) of our upcoming May forum! Forum Topic: Examining Gen AI's Role in Advancing Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion Date: Thursday, 16th May 2024 Time: 8.30am networking for 9am forum start (finish 10am) Location: Accenture, Gen AI Studio, 3 Sussex Street, Gadigal Land, Barangaroo Register: In-person or virtual via The Inclusion Circle <info@theinclusioncircle.org.au> Structure: Informal debate Some topics that will be discussed include: - How Gen AI may bridge the digital divide and provide equal opportunities for marginalized communities; - The role of Gen AI in promoting DEI by reducing bias and discrimination in decision-making processes; and - The opportunities Gen AI present in improving accessibility and inclusion in recruitment and throughout the employee lifecycle. If you have access requirements in order to participate in this event, please reach out and contact our May forum lead Lesley Greig.