Workplace Diversity Plan 
Interim plan for 2016-17

Purpose
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is committed to creating an organisation that values diversity in the workplace regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or age.  The AAT’s Workplace Diversity Plan (WDP) sets the foundation for the AAT to build an organisation reflective of the diversity in the Australian community.  This initiative is intended to assist the AAT in promoting and maximising the opportunities and knowledge that can be gained from a diverse workforce.  
Workplace diversity is guided by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act 1987 which is intended to promote equal opportunity in employment for women and persons in designated groups.  Furthermore, section 18 of the Public Service Act 1999 requires an Agency head to establish a workplace diversity program to assist in giving effect to the Australian Public Service (APS) employment principles.
What is a diverse workplace?
A diverse workplace is one that recognises, respects and supports employees regardless of gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, cultural or linguistic background, religion, life experience, family background, socio-economic or educational background, intellectual or physical disability, and age.
As of June 2016, the APS employees at the AAT (compared with the APS median) were: 

20.8% over 55 years (17%)

19% part-time (20.3%)

63.4% female (58.4%)

9.7 years avg. length of AAT service (10.2 years)

1.1% indigenous (2.6%)

at least 21% born overseas (14.4%)

NOTE:  Indigenous and non-English speaking background data is collected on a voluntary basis.  The APS median is based on the 2014-15 State of the service report and will be updated once the 2015-16 report is available.
What are our objectives? 
The AAT’s diversity plan aims to:
•	ensure that the AAT complies with whole of government targets and statutory reporting requirements 
•	embed the principles of equity and diversity in corporate decision-making and activities
•	create a flexible and supportive workplace that provides a balanced work environment
•	incorporate and utilise the existing diversity in the AAT workforce
What does the AAT aim to do for 2016-17?
The AAT’s priority for 2016-17 is to consolidate all diversity and accessibility initiatives into a comprehensive strategy.  The AAT has established an Accessibility Advisory Group (AAG) which will provide a coordinated approach to identifying gaps, addressing priorities and improving the overall accessibility of the AAT.
The creation of the AAG allows the AAT to bring together a number of legacy committees (such as the Workplace Diversity Committee and Indigenous Access Group) and initiatives under a single strategic body.  This approach will assist in embedding accessibility factors in current and future AAT initiatives and ensuring that there is a high level body providing implementation and oversight.
For 2016-17, the AAT has set the following specific targets:
Objective	Targets	Completion date	
1. Ensure that the AAT complies with whole of government targets and statutory reporting requirements	1.1	Establish regular reporting on the AAT’s diversity profile (for example, progress towards the 3% Indigenous employment target)	August 2016	
	1.2	Implement an indigenous graduate program	September 2016	
	1.3	Review and update the Reconciliation Action Plan	August 2016	
2. Embed the principles of equity and diversity in corporate activities	2.1	Establish the Accessibility Advisory Group	July – August 2016	
	2.2	Develop and commence implementation of an overarching accessibility strategy	January 2017	
	2.3	Update electronic forms to provide broader coverage of diversity information	August 2016	
	2.4	Provide Code of Conduct and APS values training to new starters and online refresher training to all staff every two years	Ongoing	
	2.5	Introduce online training packages for diversity and indigenous awareness	September 2016	
	2.6	Ensure recruitment policy and practices provide all eligible members of the public with a reasonable opportunity to apply for policies, including through reasonable adjustment	October 2016	
3. Create a flexible and supportive workplace that provides a balanced work environment	3.1	Review, update and promote flexible work policies 	Ongoing 	
	3.2	Provide supervisors and managers training and support in planning for and managing a diverse team	Ongoing	
4. Incorporate and utilise the existing diversity in the AAT workforce	4.1	Establish a language register for employees willing to use their language skills to assist with minor interpreting in administrative matters 	August 2016