The department is committed to attracting, developing and retaining the right people for the right job.

Diverse and inclusive organisations are five times more likely to innovate (Diversity Council of Australia 2019), with diverse teams making better decisions 87% of the time (Larson 2017). In addition, workers in inclusive organisations are five times more likely to be very satisfied with their jobs and three times less likely to leave their employers (Diversity Council of Australia 2019).

DEW is committed to enhancing the diversity of our workforce, and ensuring all people feel valued, respected and safe, and have equitable access to opportunities, to create a fair, healthy and high performing organisation.

The DEW Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2020-2022) was developed in conjunction with the Diversity and Inclusion Consultative Committee, combining diverse perspectives to design a strategy which brings together several diversity streams.

Specifically, in alignment with the South Australian Public Sector Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Plan, the strategy focuses on the following diversity streams:

  • First Nations people
  • Gender
  • Cultural and linguistic diversity
  • Disability
  • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other gender diversity (LGBTIQ+)
  • Age diversity

We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds including all ages and gender identities.

White Ribbon

Everyone has the right to feel safe and supported in the workplace.

DEW is committed to ensuring that this is the experience of our employees.

DEW has a zero tolerance policy against violence in the workplace and are committed to creating an organisational culture of gender equality and respectful relationships between employees.

DEW is committed to ensuring that all employees are equipped to recognise and respond to their own or colleagues’ experiences of violence and know how to access support.

DEW has proudly been an accredited White Ribbon workplace since 2015.

For more information, visit the White Ribbon Australia website.

References
Diversity Council of Australia 2019, ‘DCA-Suncorp Inclusion@Work Index 2019–2020: Mapping the State of Inclusion in the Australian Workforce,’ Sydney, Diversity Council Australia.

Larson, E 2017, ‘Diversity + Inclusion = Better Decision Making at Work,’ Forbes, available at www.forbes.com/sites/eriklarson/2017/09/21/new-research-diversity-inclusion-better-decision-making-at-work.