Andrew Taylor, ‘Major cultural institutions fail workplace diversity targets’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 January 2015
The Art Gallery of NSW claims it is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace, yet it is one of several major state cultural institutions failing to meet workplace diversity targets.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up just 0.5 per cent of the gallery’s workforce in 2014, far below the benchmark of 2.6 per cent. The figures provided by the gallery also revealed the situation had worsened since 2012, when indigenous people made up 1.2 per cent of its workforce.
The gallery also reported declines in the employment of people with disability and from a non-English-speaking background.
However, 64 per cent of the gallery’s workforce are women, compared with 52.6 per cent in 2012, surpassing the target of 50 per cent.
AGNSW spokeswoman Natasha Henry said: “The gallery is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and we work within New South Wales state government framework to work towards achieving EEO targets.”
Other cultural institutions reported similar workplace diversity figures in their latest annual reports.
The Sydney Opera House reported 46.6 per cent of total staff were women (against a target of 50 per cent), 1.6 per cent were indigenous (target 2.6 per cent) and 14.3 per cent were from a non-English-speaking background (target 19 per cent).
The percentage of Opera House staff with disability declined from 3.7 per cent in 2010 to 2.5 per cent in 2014.
However, the Opera House has several plans to boost workplace diversity, including an indigenous internship program, according to spokeswoman Kate Huish.
“The Opera House has a high number of women in leadership roles,” she added, including chief executive Louise Herron, the head of security, general counsel and company secretary.
The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, which includes the Powerhouse Museum, is also led by a woman – Rose Hiscock – and reported 53 per cent of its staff were women in its 2014 annual report. The 17 per cent of MAAS staff whose first language was not English came close to the 20 per cent benchmark but only 1 per cent were indigenous and 7 per cent were people with disability.
The Australian Museum surpassed its target for employing women and met its 2 per cent target for employing indigenous people, but there was a decline from the previous year’s figure of 3 per cent. The percentage of staff with disability fell to 2 per cent, far below the 12 per cent benchmark.
A diverse workforce is not just a worthy aspiration but integral to the delivery of high-quality services.
Diversity in government sector workforce management continues to be a priority under legislation, according to a spokeswoman for the Public Services Commission, Orietta Melfi.
“A diverse workforce which is free from discrimination and which reflects the diversity of the broader NSW community is an important factor in the delivery of high-quality services,” Ms Melfi said.
She added that agencies must collect and report statistics for employees in diversity groups and report on achievements and strategies. However, she did not say whether the failure to meet targets for workplace diversity had ramifications for agencies.
