Environmental performance reporting

Sustainability Report 2005-2006

Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007

Social Performance

Opportunity and Diversity

LA10, LA11, HR4: Equal opportunity and diversity

Goals 2005-06
Performance 2005-06 and trends
Diversity

Six diversity-awareness programmes were delivered for 101 DEH staff during 2005-06. Diversity and equality of opportunity principles are embedded in DEH recruitment and merit selection processes.

Statistics on workforce diversity are not available for our employees. Employees are able to self-identify information relating to equity and diversity (Aboriginality or not, gender, languages spoken, disabilities, country of birth, etc.), but few choose to do so.

For the APS1-6 levels in DEH in 2005-06, 57% of the workforce is female and 43% male. This is almost unchanged from 58% female and 42% male in 2004-05. The 2005 averages across the APS were 59% female and 41% male.

At the more senior EL1 to SES3 levels, 58% of the DEH workforce in 2005-06 was male and 42% female (changed slightly from 62% male and 38% female in 2004-05). The APS average at these levels for 2005 was 60% male and 40% female. The gender distribution of staff at all levels, against 2005 APS, can be seen in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Distribution of ongoing staff: classification profile by gender-comparison of DEH 2006 to the whole of APS 2005. (APS 2006 not available)

Figure 1: Distribution of ongoing staff: classification profile by gender-comparison of DEH 2006 to the whole of APS 2005. (APS 2006 not available)

The Executive Roundtable, the peak decision-making body in DEH, is 22% female and 78% male in 2005-06. It was 25% female and 75% male in 2004-05, and 17% female and 83% male in 2003-04.

The implications of an ageing population, and therefore workforce, continue to be a focus of attention for DEH. Initiatives such as knowledge management, identification of critical roles, job rotation, and the leadership and management development programme will all assist in retaining skills and corporate memory. In 2004-05, the average DEH employee age was 41.1 years, rising to 41.4 years in 2005-06. Figure 2 below shows the 2005-06 and 2004-05 DEH age profile by classification, compared with the APS averages for 2005.

Figure 2: DEH age distribution as at 30 June 2005 and 2006: ongoing staff (excluding staff on leave without pay). Comparison with the whole of the APS for 2005.

Figure 2: DEH age distribution as at 30 June 2005 and 2006: ongoing staff (excluding staff on leave without pay). Comparison with the whole of the APS for 2005.

Disability

Implementation of the Disability Action Plan was completed in 2005-06. The plan is currently being reviewed to ensure that DEH complies with the reporting requirements of the Commonwealth Disability Strategy.

Not all DEH sites yet are fully accessible to people with a disability. The 6th floor of the John Gorton Building is not accessible, but the rest of the building is fully accessible. The Parks Office on Norfolk Island is not accessible, although there is a small visitor centre at ground level. At Booderee National Park there is an upstairs portion of the Park’s office that is not accessible, but the rest of the buildings are. On Cocos Island the main office does not cater for people with a disability as there are no ramps and there is no wheelchair-accessible toilet. Christmas Island is also not accessible, with steps into the office and the footpaths not wheelchair-accessible.

Workplace harassment and bullying

A network of 14 workplace contact officers across DEH provides a mechanism for staff to report instances of workplace harassment or bullying. There was 1 reported instance of workplace harassment or bullying in 2005-06.

Commentary

An effective methodology to collect diversity statistics was not established during 2005-06. The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) is currently contacting all employees in the Australian Public Service to encourage them to update their personal information on a shared database. This includes diversity statistics and the results will be fed back to the department in 2007.

Goals 2006-07

Contents

  • TBL Report 04-05
  • TBL Report 03-04

    • Key

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