Equity and Diversity Annual Report 2006-07...Equity and Diversity Annual Report 2006-07 ... Page 35...

Equity and Diversity Annual Report 2006-07Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Equal Employment Opportunity Report to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts

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Cover image is a still taken from the animation: Dust Echoes 2: Brolga Song, whichappears on ABC Online at dustechoes.com.au. This animation was produced by the ABC inassociation with Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation and was directed and animated bySuren Perera.

The Dust Echoes series is a collection of twelve Aboriginal Dreamtime stories collectedfrom the Wugularr (Beswick) Community in Arnhem Land in Australia's Northern Territory.The series was produced in two parts. In 2005, working closely with Djilpin Arts, the firstfour animations were produced by the ABC in association with Deakin University. In 2007,the ABC then went on to produce an additional eight animations, again in collaboration withDjilpin Arts. Each story is uniquely interpreted by contemporary animators, musicians,artists, writers and actors and remains authentically Indigenous while being infused withyouthful creativity and spirit.

Other Dust Echoes 2 images featured in this report are:Page 1 - Whirlpool directed by James Calvert and animated by The People's Republic ofAnimation.Page 3 - Mermaid Story directed by James Calvert and animated by The People's Republicof Animation.Page 7 - The Curse directed by Luke Jurevicius and animated by Visual Media Productions.Page 10 - Mermaid Story directed by James Calvert and animated by The People's Republicof Animation.Page 13 - Moon Man directed by Luke Jurevicius and Toby Quarmby, animated by VisualMedia Productions.Page 35 - Brolga Song directed and animated by Suren Perera.

Copyright in all images held by the ABC. Intellectual property in the underlying Dreamtimestories held by the Yirritja and Dhuwa moieties at Wugularr (Beswick) Community. Imagesreproduced with approval of Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation on behalf of the community.

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EQUITY ANDDIVERSITY ANNUAL

REPORT 2006-07

CONTENTS

Key Areas and Progress of the Equity andDiversity Program ......................................3

Responsibility ............................................7

Communication ......................................10

Diversity Profile and Initiatives ..................13

Objectives and Evaluation........................35

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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is the national broadcaster established as astatutory corporation under the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 (the ABCAct). The ABC Act, which includes the ABC Charter, sets out the basic functions and dutiesof the Corporation.

As a Commonwealth authority employer, the ABC is bound by the provisions of the EqualEmployment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987, the Racial DiscriminationAct 1975, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Human Rights and Equal OpportunityCommission Act 1986, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, the Workplace Relations Act1996 and the Age Discrimination Act 2004.

This report is made under the provisions of Section 9(2) of the Equal EmploymentOpportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987. The reporting period covers 1September 2006 to 31 August 2007.

The Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987 requires theABC to promote equal opportunity in employment for women and designated groups whichare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from a non-English speakingbackground and people with disabilities.

Included in this report are the key areas of the ABC's Equity and Diversity ManagementPlan 2003-07 and progress of the new plan covering the period 2007-10.

This report is published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

For information about this report, please contact:ABC Manager Diversity People and Learning GPO Box 9994Sydney 2001

Printed by Quality Printing, Hong Kong, China

Equity and Diversity Annual Report2006-07


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Key Areas and Progress ofthe Equity and Diversity

Program


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Equity and diversity in the ABC is aboutemployment, based on skills and experi-ence through fair selection processes,matched with jobs designed to meet thebusiness objectives and operations of theorganisation. Employees are provided witha positive working environment and a cor-porate leadership framework that does notdiscriminate or foster bullying behaviour.The workplace culture encourages creativ-ity and inclusiveness so that employeescan reach their potential and through flexi-ble work practices balance their work andlife commitments.

The ABC’s Equity and DiversityManagement Plan 2003-06 has beenextended for one year to include the periodto 31 August 2007. The extension of thePlan is due to the drafting of the ABCCorporate Plan 2007-10, which will befinalised in late 2007. It was consideredimportant to align the new Equity andDiversity Management Plan 2007-10 withthe vision and strategic directions and pri-orities of the new Corporate Plan for theABC.

Development of the new equity and diversi-ty plan has been undertaken during theyear, including research of current plansand strategies of other organisations bothin Australia and overseas, analysis of thenew census data and the formulation of

potential objectives and strategies.

The review of the progress of the Equityand Diversity Management Plan 2003-07 isincluded under the six key areas of thePlan. It has been updated from the reviewincluded in the Equity and Diversity AnnualReport 2005-06, which covered the periodof the Plan with the previous end timeframe of 2006.

Leadership and Commitment

During the four-year period of the Equityand Diversity Management Plan 2003-07the key strategy was the inclusion ofresponsibility for the implementation ofthe Plan in executive role descriptions. Alldivisions reported that this had beenachieved and directors and senior execu-tives provided positive endorsement ofdiversity initiatives. There was a renewedinterest in implementing Corporation-widestrategies that all divisions could take-up,and State and Territory Directors consoli-dated their support for the advancement ofdiversity in their areas.

Some of the organisational initiativesincluded the establishment of the cross-divisional Indigenous advisory group, thefunding of the biennial Indigenous staffconferences and the advertising of ABCpositions in the Indigenous media. State

Key Areas and Progress of the Equityand Diversity ProgramThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation is required by the EqualEmployment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987(Section 5) to develop an equal employment opportunity (EEO) pro-gram designed to eliminate discrimination and promote equal oppor-tunity for women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, peo-ple from a non-English speaking background and people with disabil-ities.


and Territory Directors contributed todiversity development initiatives such aswomen’s industry forums, the develop-ment of the Indigenous camera operatorsinitiative in Darwin and NAIDOC Weekactivities around Australia.

Diversity Profile and Services

Within the time frame of the Plan, divisionswere provided with quarterly diversity sta-tistics so that the workforce profile couldbe monitored on a regular basis. Divisionsused this data and other input from theHuman Resources Division, along withperformance management goals, to rein-force diversity implementation within workunits.

Overall, women’s representation increasedfrom 47.8% in August 2003 to 48.9% at endAugust 2007. Women in senior executiveroles rose slightly to 39.4% and programmaker roles increased by 2.3%.Indigenous staff representation decreasedfrom 1.3% to 1.1%. People from non-English speaking backgrounds increasedfrom 10.1% to 11.2% overall, with increas-es across all occupational groups. Peoplewith disabilities declined to 9.5%, however,this is nearly double the ABC’s corporatetarget of 5%. Within the program-makingarea there is a lower representation ofnon-English speaking background staffand this needs to be a focus for the futureplan. All areas of the Corporation thatdeliver programs and products haverenewed their interest in providing com-prehensive services related to diversitythat are accessible, relevant and reflectiveof the Australian community.

There has been a wider acceptance ofcareer development opportunities for staffbased on diversity, alongside generaltraining, for example single gender pro-grams and English improvement courses.Generally, acceptance of diversity hasshifted to a mainstream view with higher

participation rates in regard to nominating,approving and funding participation in pro-grams and providing ongoing employmentopportunities.

The area that has shifted the most inrecognition and acceptance is Indigenousemployment, even though the ABC has notreached its target of at least 2% represen-tation. Changes and outcomes haveincluded:

• a higher level of support by directors;• recruitment strategies based onacross-the-board levels of employment,not reliant on government subsidies or atentry level;• recruitment with a focus to ongoingpositions;• a raised awareness at all levels of theCorporation about the Indigenous employ-ment program and Indigenous staff;• a raised awareness across theCorporation of Indigenous culture andissues;• an increase in the recruitment anddevelopment opportunities for Indigenousstaff and their expanded aspirations;• additional allocation of funding andresources internally;• the introduction of Corporation-wideIndigenous marketing tools; and• improved ABC standing in Indigenouscommunities and as an organisation ofbest practice in the area of Indigenousemployment.

This is reflected in the nationalDiversity@work Award for the employmentand inclusion of Indigenous Australiansawarded to the ABC in 2005 and 2006.

Education and Participation

There has been ongoing dissemination ofinformation and awareness-raising via arange of mechanisms and forums.Occasional and regular diversity related

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material have been provided over the pastfour years to managers and staff onemployment and development as well asexternal trends, resources and events.

Forums and conferences within theCorporation, as well as access to industry-wide events, have provided opportunitiesfor discussion and consultation.Scholarships have continued to be offeredfor individual development and to studentsto promote recruitment, for example theannual scholarships for women undertak-ing engineering related studies.

One of the most important contributions tothe education and participation of direc-tors, managers and staff was theannouncement and subsequent rollout ofthe Creating a Better Place to WorkWorkshops on discrimination, harassmentand bullying. This was the first time thatsuch a workshop had been deliverednationally and consistently. This provideddiscussion and information about recog-nising and valuing diversity and appropri-ate behaviour within work groups and theorganisation as a whole. Non-metropoli-tan employees were provided with thesame workshop content and discussion asthose in the metropolitan areas.

Consistency and Integration

Human Resources policies, guidelines,intranet pages and training material relat-ed to diversity have been reviewed andupdated to reflect the Corporation’s poli-cies and plans and have a consistent for-mat. State and Territory HumanResources areas have embraced diversityinitiatives at the local level.

Positive Work Environment

The Creating a Better Place to WorkWorkshop has been delivered to mostmanagers and staff across the Corporationduring the period of the Plan. Evaluationsand feedback have indicated that employ-ees are now aware of the content of therelevant policies, the types of behaviourand conduct that attach to bullying,harassment and discrimination and thecomplaint and grievance resolutionprocesses. Workshop discussion alsofocused on valuing the diversity of individu-als within work groups and what consti-tutes a positive work environment. A totalof 4,863 ABC employees have attended theworkshop since its introduction in 2004.

Work/Life Balance

All divisions have reported an increase inthe recognition and practice of the provi-sion of a flexible workplace for work/lifebalance responsibilities. There has been arise in staff working part-time and a widerange of flexible work arrangements inplace, which also assists the Corporationwith flexible work requirements, accom-modation and budget constraints.

The national work/life program and work-shops, which have included discussion onwork and family issues, have also assistedwith the growing awareness and accept-ance in this key area.

The ABC has consistently been in the top25 Australian organisations in annualbenchmarking studies related to work/lifeinitiatives in the past four years and in2005 was a finalist in the ACCI/BCANational Work and Family Awards.

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ResponsibilityResponsibility

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Leadership and SharedResponsibility

One of the ongoing key areas of the ABC'sequity and diversity management plans isleadership. The overall responsibility forthe implementation of the equity anddiversity program in the ABC is with theManaging Director and DivisionalDirectors. Senior management support forthe commitment to value diversity reflectsthe recognition of the benefits that itbrings to the organisation. The ABC'sLeadership Group, as an appropriate rolemodel, promote the delivery of effectivediversity initiatives and communicate thebenefits of diversity at all levels.

Managers are responsible for equity anddiversity activities and performance withintheir work groups, and in line with otherkey areas of the equity and diversity plan:review the diversity of their area; supportdiversity recruitment, development andawareness-raising initiatives; promote apositive work environment; and provideflexible and supportive arrangements toassist work/life balance.

Learning programs for senior managershave relevant components included thatreinforce the key objectives of theCorporation's equity and diversity policiesand practices.

All staff continue to be responsible formaintaining a working environment that isfree from discrimination, harassment andbullying behaviour. Applicants for ABCvacant positions are required to address a

criterion relating to equity and diversitypolicies as part of the selection process.

Responsibility for the development,implementation and monitoring of theequity and diversity program is undertakenby the Manager Diversity, Chrissie Tucker,and the Indigenous Employment Co-ordinator, Paul Brant. State and TerritoryDirectors and Human Resourcesstate/territory units assist with theprogram in their local areas.

Contact Networks

In each division senior equity and diversitycontacts have the overall responsibility forthe co-ordination of initiatives and tomonitor the progress of representationand activities linked to diversity in employ-ment and services.

Each state and territory appoints a numberof Grievance Contact Officers (GCOs) whoprovide information and support to staffregarding discrimination, harassment andbullying matters as well as complaint andgrievance resolution processes. Followinga review of the function of the GCOs in2006 further training and opportunitieswere provided to assist them in their role.Three new GCOs were appointed andtrained during 2006-07, two in WesternAustralia and one in New South Wales,bringing the overall number to 25. All theWestern Australian contact officersattended an external training seminar asan introduction for the new contact officersand a refresher course for the ongoingcontact officer.

ResponsibilityThe Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act1987 requires the ABC to confer responsibility (Section 6 (b)) for thedevelopment and implementation of the EEO program.


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Specialist Diversity Groups

The membership of the nationalIndigenous group, the Bonner Committee,is drawn from across divisions and formspart of the responsibilities of the Director,International, Corporate Strategy andGovernance Division. During 2006-07representatives on the Bonner Committeeincluded employees from HumanResources, News, Production Resources,Radio and Regional Content, Television andthe Chief Operating Officer's group.Representatives were from New South

Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland andSouth Australia. The role of the group is toadvance and promote Indigenous issuesincluding areas of employment anddevelopment, cross-cultural awarenessand "specialist staffing" of Indigenouscontent areas and programs.

The Radio and Regional Content Divisionset up a new Indigenous employmentgroup in 2007 to explore a range of strate-gies to advance the representation ofIndigenous employees within the Division.


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CommunicationCommunication


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Informing Employees

Corporate-wide information is disseminat-ed by email, the ABC’s intranet and staffnewsletters. The Human Resources webpages contain general policies andpublications and have dedicated areas onequity and diversity and complaint andgrievance resolution. During the year,human resources information focused onoccupational health and safety initiativesand the introduction of the new employ-ment agreement.

Equity and diversity email and intranetcontent included: Women Working inTelevision Project activities, communica-tion courses for staff from non-Englishspeaking backgrounds, the Springboardprogram for women, vacation careassistance, work/life balance initiatives,Indigenous activities and an updatedinterview kit.

The ABC’s Leadership Group, Grievanceand Equity and Diversity Contact Officersand other specific employee groups suchas Indigenous staff, receive regularupdates on developments and researchrelated to diversity while program makersare provided with information on eventsand relevant guidelines. Information issent directly to ABC staff workingoverseas. Enquiries from staff includedinformation sought for interview questions,study, background information for

storylines and general interest in discrimi-nation/diversity issues.

Consultation with Employees

Input was sought from employees regard-ing the review of the Human Resourcesfunction and following the completion ofthe review, further consultation andfeedback were undertaken nationally.Staff were also invited to comment on draftpolicies and legislation on fatigue manage-ment, rehabilitation and compensation andthe ABC Editorial Policies. Further consul-tation took place with employees relatingto the ABC Employment Agreement 2006to 2009, finalised for lodgement inDecember 2006.

Workshops on discrimination, harassmentand bullying continued throughoutAustralia, providing information, discus-sion and feedback with management andstaff.

Forums were held around Australia by theWomen Working in Television Project facili-tating consultation about women’s roles,work and family, and leadership in the televi-sion industry. Women senior executivesattended networking lunches at Ultimo todiscuss women’s activities in the ABC and toshare information and contacts. The BonnerCommittee progressed the profile ofIndigenous employment and services withsenior management and employees.

CommunicationThere are three actions included in the Equal EmploymentOpportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987 that require theABC to communicate and consult regarding its overall Equity andDiversity program: Informing Employees (Section 6(a)); Consultationwith Employees (Section 6(d)); and Consultation with Trade Unions(Section 6(c)).


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Consultation with TradeUnions

The ABC continued to consult with theCommunity and Public Sector Union(CPSU), the Media Entertainment and ArtsAlliance (MEAA) and the Association ofProfessional Engineers, Scientists andManagers Australia (APESMA) as part ofthe process of the development and

implementation of policies and theprovisions of agreements.

Consultation with the unions, during theyear, focused on developments within theABC Employment Agreement 2006 to2009, which came into force in December2006.


Diversity Profile and Initiatives13

Diversity Profile and Initiatives


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Collection of Statistics

Each year the ABC invites new employeesto complete the EEO survey form to ensurethat the aggregate data covers a highproportion of staff and provides anaccurate profile of the diversity of theworkforce. In August 2007 EEO data hadbeen provided by 71% of all staff.

Quarterly EEO statistics are provided todivisions so that they can monitor theirarea’s data and progress. Monthly statis-tics are maintained on the attendances ofstaff at the discrimination, harassment andbullying workshops.

Guidelines are in place in regard torequests and use of employee data toensure that the data is authorised by asenior manager and that its purpose isspecific, kept confidential and not used tobreach anti-discrimination or privacylegislation.

Following the release of the Census Data2006, the Corporation can measure itsdiversity profile with recent national statis-tics.

Consideration of Policies andExamination of Practices

The consideration of the ABC’s policiesand examining its practices are coveredunder the areas of Gender, Indigenous,Race/Ethnicity and Disability matched tothe EEO groups of the legislation. Broaderequity and diversity initiatives are outlinedunder the area of Workplace Culture andFlexibility.

Equity and diversity policies and practicesaim to support an inclusive and adaptiveculture throughout the ABC, with anemployee profile, programs and servicesthat connect with the diversity of theAustralian community. The ABC continuesto monitor best practice initiatives, legisla-tive changes and trends to ensure that theCorporation is a competitive, inclusive andcompliant employer. During the reportingperiod participation at external forumsincluded the coverage of issues such asdiversity outcomes through distributedleadership, law and practice trends in EEO,attracting and retaining women employ-ees, sexual orientation in the workplace,challenges and opportunities of matureage employment and forums on disability,

Diversity Profile and InitiativesSpecifically, the Equal Employment Opportunity (CommonwealthAuthorities) Act 1987 requires the ABC to collect statistics (Section6(e)) and consider policies, and examine practices (Section 6(f)) inregard to women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, peo-ple from a non-English speaking background and people with disabil-ities.


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Indigenous, work/life and faith in theworkplace. The ABC’s Manager Diversityis President of the New South Wales EEOPractitioners’ Association.

The ABC has a Workplace Values andCode of Conduct statement of principles,for employees, that has severalreferences to fairness, the promotion ofequity in employment and a workplacethat values diversity. Severalmechanisms assist with quality improve-ment and assurance within the ABC in

regard to coverage, content and services,such as the ABC Editorial Policies 2007and the ABC Code of Practice 2007. TheEditorial Policies cover a range of areasand include content standards on discrim-ination and stereotypes.

During the year the ABC Advisory Councilproduced a report on equity and diversityissues with the focus on program contentand Charter objectives, particularly inregard to disability and cultural diversity.


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GENDER

Framework for a GenderInclusive Workplace

The ABC’s equity and diversity plan andpolicies have objectives and strategiesthat promote equal employment opportu-nity for women across the Corporation,including areas of under-representationand non-traditional roles and inclusive-ness and non-discriminatory practices forall employees by gender.

Strategies included in the equity anddiversity plan have encouraged the take-up of single gender training and network-ing and the selection of women forleadership roles and learning experi-ences.

Putting into Practice

Targeted Opportunities andNetworking

The Television Division introduced a newinitiative for women working in the maledominated area of sport. Women workingin sport in television represent about onequarter of all sport program contributors.Part of the ABC’s submission to theSenate Environment, Communications,Information Technology and the ArtsCommittee Report About time! Women insport and recreation in Australia,September 2006, included the re-establishment of ABC Television’sdevelopment role in sourcing and trainingwomen sports broadcasters through anumber of placements. The ABC secureda ten-year exemption from the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board to offer an annualinternship for this purpose. The inauguralopportunity attracted over 100 applica-tions for a one-year training contractdesigned to introduce the successfulapplicant to a full range of sportbroadcasting, commentary and presenta-

tion opportunties. The successfulapplicant was Amanda Shalala whocommenced in June 2007. This strategycan provide the Corporation with accessto a pool of potential women to workwithin the sport genre and can also be amodel for other areas of gender under-representation within the ABC.

The Radio and Regional Content Divisionhas been a consistent leader within theRadio industry with the employment offemale sports broadcasters.

Other scholarships were awarded towomen engineering students in NewSouth Wales, Victoria and WesternAustralia. The Technology andDistribution Division continues to developstrategies, improve communicationmechanisms to attract nominations andprovide a cash component of $1,500 andquality work experience to talentedfemale students. In 2007 the scholarshipshave been broadened to women studyingin either their 1st, 2nd or 3rd year of anElectrical Engineering Degree, Diploma orsimilar. Tertiary courses in engineeringremains an area of low enrolment forwomen in Australia .

Sally Ashley, St George TAFE (Sydney) andKaren Hourigan, Hunter TAFE(Muswellbrook) were this year’s winnersin New South Wales. Miles Brown, BoxHill Institute of TAFE (Melbourne) andLeanne Leong, RMIT University(Melbourne) won the Victorian awards andKristin Stenland, who studied at EdithCowan University (Perth) was awarded theWomen in Engineering scholarship inWestern Australia.

The cross-industry Women Working inTelevision Project group continued tobring women together, to assist withcareer advancement and to recognisewomen’s contributions. The group is co-ordinated by the Australian FilmCommission, in association with the ABC,


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SBS, the Seven Network, Network Ten, theNine Network, the Screen ProducersAssociation of Australia, Free TV Australiaand the Australian Subscription Televisionand Radio Association.

In September 2006, the group launched thebook Look at Me! Behind the scenes ofAustralian TV with the women who made it,to coincide with the 50th anniversary ofAustralian television. The ABC contributedto the content, publication and distribution ofthe book, which features a compilation ofwomen’s stories covering experiences fromthe past 50 years. This record of achieve-ment provides role models, contacts andcareer development strategies for womenaspiring to further their careers in televi-sion.

The latest period of reporting again notesthe group’s other networking activitiesranging from small lunchtime forumshosted by Foxtel and the ABC to large-scaleevents held in Sydney, Melbourne and theGold Coast. Outstanding senior televisionindustry women participated as speakersand panellists and the high number ofattendees again supported the ongoing needfor these opportunities.

The ABC’s Director of ABC Commercial,Lynley Marshall, was a keynote speaker attwo major events in Sydney, the WomenWorking in Television forum in September2006 and the 19th Women, Management andEmployment Relations Conference in August2007 as a speaker on women in media.Courtney Gibson, promoted to the position ofExecutive Head Content Creation, Television,was the speaker at the Women Working inTelevision lunchtime forum hosted by theABC at Ultimo in August 2007.

During the year the group undertook twosignificant initiatives in its tenth year ofoperation. One was a survey of past partici-pants to ascertain the usage and benefit ofthe forums and publications produced by the

project. From the results of the survey andother sources of feedback, a strategicworkshop, facilitated by ABC TelevisionManager Strategy and Governance, JulianaPayne, developed priority projects andactions to advance more relevant initiativesto assist women in television.

Ultimo senior executive women continuedlunchtime networking forums for theopportunity to discuss issues and sharecorporate knowledge. Male staff at Ultimoalso continued to meet on a regular basiswith an external facilitator. Feedbackindicates that the forums provide theopportunity to strengthen ties acrossdivisions and to share the airing of issues.The Springboard external developmentprogram for women in non-managerialpositions continued to attract a high numberof ABC women this year with 11 participants.

Leadership and Management Programs

The ABC Leaders program is building theleadership capability of the organisation in atangible and measurable way. Formalresearch conducted in late 2006 showedsignificant benefits to both participants andthe ABC in terms of a more mature leader-ship style and acquisition of skills andabilities that allow the Corporation torespond more flexibility to current andfuture challenges. Ongoing learning andprofessional development opportunities aremade available to former participantsthrough an active alumni program.

In 2006, the Experienced Managers programwas launched to enhance the leadershipskills and technical expertise of middlemanagers for their transition to the nextgeneration of ABC leaders. Line managers,supervisors and senior output and supportstaff have undertaken the New Managersprogram. This program has contributedsignificantly to the workplace managementcapital of the organisation through its focuson work projects, problem solving and team


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building components.

Women continue to have high participa-tion rates in all three programs. In April2007 the ABC Leaders programcommenced around Australia with 11men and nine women senior managers.During the reporting period nine of the23 Experienced Managers programparticipants and 12 of the 27 NewManagers program attendees werewomen.

Margaret Cassidy, Head TechnologyStrategy, Technology and DistributionDivision, was a guest speaker and panelmember of the Certifiably Smart andEducated session of The Society ofMotion Picture and Television EngineersConference and Exhibition at Sydney inJuly 2007.

In 2007 Sally Sara from the NewsDivision, was awarded the ElizabethNeuffer Human Rights Fellowship to beundertaken in the USA. Lisa Millar alsofrom the News Division, was awardedthe 2007 Ochberg Fellowship from theDart Centre for Journalism and Traumaand will spend a week in Baltimore,USA, attending the annual conference ofthe International Society for StressStudies.

These participation rates continue toindicate the increasing nomination andselection of women in developmentprograms both from senior manage-ment practices and from women’s self-nomination.

Other research focused on developingleadership capabilities for women inexternal roles such as appointments toBoards and committees.

Profile of Workforce byGender

At the Board level of the ABC there isone female Board member. TheExecutive Director group that reportsdirectly to the Managing Directorincludes two women, heading the areasof Radio and Regional Content and ABCCommercial. At the state level twoDirectors - the Australian CapitalTerritory and South Australia - arewomen. Senior executive women’srepresentation decreased slightly to 112or 39.4% of the total number of seniorexecutives. This compares with 34.8%women in the Senior Executive Serviceof the Australian Public ServiceCommission (State of the Service Report2005-06), 27.9% women managers andadministrators, all occupations, acrossAustralia (ABS Australian LabourMarket Statistics July 2007) and 12.0%women in executive managementpositions in the Australian StockExchange top 200 companies (2006Equal Employment for Women in theWorkplace Agency Census of Women inLeadership).

Overall, the number of men and womenemployees continued to edge closer with51.1% men and 48.9% women. ABSCensus Data 2006 indicates women(50.6%) slightly outnumber men (49.4%)in the Australian population. In 2000women comprised 44.9% of all staff inthe Corporation. Program makersremain the closest group in regard toequal representation with the narrowingof the gap once again with 52.5% menand 47.5% women. Similar to externalworkforce participation the occupationalgroups of retail andadministrative/professional are over-represented with women and the


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August 2007 August 2006

Occupational Group No. % No. % No. No. % No. % No.

Senior Executive 112 39.4 172 60.6 284 114 41.5 161 58.5 275Administrative/Professional 502 69.7 218 30.3 720 502 69.1 225 30.9 727Program Maker 1413 47.5 1559 52.5 2972 1373 46.8 1559 53.2 2932Technologist 42 11.7 317 88.3 359 38 11.0 307 89.0 345Retail 143 76.5 44 23.5 187 142 77.6 41 22.4 183

Total 2212 48.9 2310 51.1 4522 2169 48.6 2293 51.4 4462

Women Men Total Women Men Total

Representation of Gender by Occupation

(Number and percentage based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff, within OccupationalGroup.)

technologist group continues to be dominat-ed by men. Within ABC Commercial therepresentation of women is reflected withinthe managerial ranks with 48% seniorexecutives and 79% shop managers.

The News Division has 65 on-air presenterscomprising 16 male and 15 female televi-sion newsreaders/presenters of nationaland state-based news and current affairsprograms and 18 male and 16 female radiopresenters. The ABC’s foreign bureauxhave 12 men and five women working assenior journalists.

During the year the News Division appoint-ed five female and three male journalistcadets who commenced in February 2007.

As has been the case in previous reportsthe Corporation’s age profile highlights the

greater number of women who are under40 years of age than men and the reversalof this trend for the over forties in every agebracket. Just over a quarter of theCorporation’s overall workforce are 50years and older. The median age of ABCfemale employees at the end of the report-ing period is 39 years and the median age ofmen is 45 years. Census Data 2006indicates the national median age at 37years.

In regard to the length of service of employ-ees, women dominate with up to 15 years’service, with men overtaking in all years ofservice groups longer than 15 years. Thiswould reflect, to some extent, careerbreaks for women who have resigned toundertake family care responsibilities overthe years.


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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

$37,021 and below

$37,021 – $42,282

$42,282 – $47,488

$47,488 – $54,488

$54,488 – $59,805

$59,805 – $66,624

$66,624 – $74,418

$74,418 – $84,178

$84,178 and above

Women

Men

Representation of Gender within Salary Ranges August 2007(Percentage based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff.)

0 100 200 300 400 500

<2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64

65+

Age

Women Men

Representation of Gender by Age August 2007

Representation of Gender by Length of Service August 2007(Number based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff.)

(Number based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff.)

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

1-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

>40

Num

ber

of y

ears

Number of people

Women Men


ABC Television Woman Sport Broadcaster Intern,Amanda Shalala, with Iain Knight (L), Head Sports andEvents, Television Division and Kim Dalton, DirectorTelevision

Women in Engineering Scholarship Presentation ABCPerth.L�R: Geoff Duncan, State Director WA, Kris Bathgate,Technical Services Manager, WA and Kristin Stenland

Women in Engineering Scholarship Presentation ABCMelbourne.L�R: Rob Batten, State Director Tasmania, MilesBrown, Leanne Leong and Don Morganella, TechnicalServices Manager, Victoria

Women in Engineering Scholarship Presentation ABCUltimo.L�R: Ken Morris, Technical Services Manager, NSW,Sally Ashley, Karen Hourigan and Colin Knowles,Director Technology and Distribution

Lynley Marshall, Director ABC Commercial,speaking at the Women Working in Televisionforum in Sydney, September 2006.

Margaret Cassidy, Head Technology Strategy,Technology and Distribution Division, speaking at theSMPTE07 Conference and Exhibition in Sydney, July2007.


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INDIGENOUS

Framework for theRecruitment and Developmentof Indigenous Employees

The Equity and Diversity ManagementPlan 2003-07, incorporating theIndigenous Employment Plan 2002-05,includes policies, objectives and strate-gies that provide a framework to supportIndigenous employment initiatives. TheABC continues to build on employmentopportunities for Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander peoples to assist theoverall Corporation-wide target of at least2% Indigenous representation. Initialdiscussion has taken place on thedevelopment of a Reconciliation ActionPlan for the Corporation. The Indigenousadvisory group, the Bonner Committee,continued to progress Corporation-wideinitiatives and promote the profile ofIndigenous programs and staff.

The ABC Editorial Policies 2007 has asection that provides guidelines forproducing Indigenous Australian contentincluding that the ABC must reflect thecultural diversity of Australian society,which includes presenting content by, forand about Indigenous Australians.Indigenous staff are employed for specificIndigenous programs including SpeakingOut and Awaye! on Radio and MessageStick on Television.

The Content Services Department of theBusiness Services Division has developedIndigenous protocols regarding contentand copyright issues and practices.Indigenous staff have contributed to theprotocols by a range of consultativemeasures.

The ABC has shifted its approach toIndigenous recruitment with a move awayfrom seeking government funding and

providing short-term opportunities, totargeting of a range of positions andlevels with limited subsidy, being innova-tive about job design and work/studymodels and providing traineeships withongoing job prospects.


Recruitment Initiatives

In 2005 a Corporation-wide strategy forthe placement of mainstream job vacancyadvertisements and a generic advertise-ment inviting Indigenous people to consid-er a career at the ABC was undertaken for12 months. Articles on the Corporation’sIndigenous employment strategies werealso published during this period toenhance the interest of potentialIndigenous applicants. The review of thestrategy recommended that the genericadvertisement should be continued, as ithad contributed to a database of potentialapplicants and that the advertising ofspecific vacancies be restricted to target-ed Indigenous positions and “entry level”positions.

A number of other recommendationswere devised and implemented as part ofthe recruitment review including: alonger period to lodge applications fortargeted positions; a targeted Indigenousadvertising guide to assist managers; anda new design of the generic advertisementto maintain ongoing interest.

The Indigenous Employment Co-ordinatorvisited a number of schools and tertiaryinstitutions in Sydney, Newcastle, theCentral Coast area of New South Walesand Melbourne with the purpose ofencouraging students to consider theiremployment options and the range ofcareers on offer at the ABC.

In conjunction with the 2007 IndigenousStaff Conference to be held in Darwin inSeptember 2007 substantial preparation


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has been underway for the careers dayto be held at Kormilda College, Darwin,where over 300 Indigenous students areexpected to participate in detailedsessions and “hands on” opportunitiesprovided by over 35 ABC Indigenousstaff members.

Placements and DevelopmentOpportunities

Roanna Edwards is nearing completionof her Radio Sport Traineeship in Perthand in July 2007 was awarded the ABCIndigenous Excellence Award of $10,000.The award funds will meet travel andsalary costs to visit Auckland to coverthe netball world championships and toexplore local Indigenous culture.

The Indigenous Encouragement Awardof $4,000 was presented to LorenaAllam, also from the Radio and RegionalContent Division, who will make a seriesof programs on how Indigenous peopleare working towards cultural revival andIndigenous language. The annualawards were presented at Ultimo by theNew South Wales Minister for FairTrading, Linda Burney, sports identity,Mark Ella and the Director of HumanResources, Colin Palmer.

Previous award recipients Elton Rosasand Michael Nudl, both from theProduction Resources Division,progressed their development opportu-nities during 2006-07 in the areas ofproducing television programs andundertaking accredited courses.

Over time, there has been considerableconsultation and effort to ensure thatIndigenous program areas of the ABC arestaffed by Indigenous people. For the firsttime, the position of Executive Producer(EP) of Television’s Indigenous ProgramsUnit has been filled by an Indigenousprogram maker, Susan Moylan-Coombs.Indigenous cadets are offered ongoing

positions within the News Division onsuccessful completion of theircadetships.

Divisional Strategies and Initiatives

The Radio and Regional Content Divisionhas appointed an IndigenousEmployment Group to develop strategiesaimed at increasing the number ofIndigenous employees to assist thedivisional goal of at least 2% Indigenousrepresentation.

This division also continues to adoptstrategies to encourage more externalIndigenous applications for ABC Radio’sRegional Production Fund – a NationalInterest Initiative – such as the creationof a workshop for media students atBatchelor College, Northern Territory.

ABC’s Innovation Division, in conjunctionwith the Djilpin Arts AboriginalCorporation and the Wugularrcommunity in Beswick, NorthernTerritory, has expanded the Dust Echoeswebsite with eight additional Dreamtimestories, launched in July 2007. Theseries will also be broadcast on televi-sion on ABC 2.

Awareness Raising and Recognition

The Bonner Committee co-ordinated the2nd annual Indigenous ProgramsLaunch event at Ultimo in March 2007,to promote Indigenous programs andteams across the Corporation. Duringthe year, the Bonner Room at Ultimowas completed and available for use, forthe purpose of establishing a centralmeeting room for Indigenous forums.

The 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Weekwas recognised nationally by a range ofcoverage and content in programsincluding the highlights of the externalNAIDOC Ball held in Darwin. Forumsconducted by the ABC included the


opening ceremony at Ultimo, whichfocused on the Television Division withkeynote addresses by the Director ofTelevision, Kim Dalton and the EP of theIndigenous Programs Unit, Susan Moylan-Coombs.

In recognition of the ABC’s continuousimplementation of Indigenous employmentinitiatives, the Corporation won, for thesecond year, the national Diversity@workAward, presented in Melbourne inNovember 2006, in the category of organi-sations with over 1,000 employees for“Employment and Inclusion of IndigenousAustralians”.

The Bonner Award, introduced in 2006, torecognise the work of non-Indigenousstaff who promote and support Indigenousemployment was awarded to the ABC’sManager Diversity in July 2007.

The Indigenous Employment Co-ordinator

continued in the position of Chair of theNew South Wales Indigenous AustralianPublic Service Employees Network.

Profile of the IndigenousWorkforce

The ABC has a Corporation-wide target ofat least 2% representation of Indigenousemployees. The representation decreasedfrom 1.2% (55 staff in 2006) to 1.1% (49staff in 2007). Six new employees wererecruited during the reporting period but agreater number exited the Corporation.New appointments were generated fromtargeted positions in television in NewSouth Wales and mainstream vacancies intelevision production in the NorthernTerritory and Queensland. The mainreasons for Indigenous staff leaving theABC were: to take-up career advance-ment opportunities in specialistIndigenous positions, government, themedia and external projects;


Occupational Group No. % No. %

Senior Executive - - - -Administrative/Professional 7 1.0 14 1.9Program Maker 39 1.3 39 1.3Technologist 3 0.8 2 0.6Retail - - - -

Total 49 1.1 55 1.2

Representation of Indigenous Peoples by Occupation

(Number and percentage based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff, withinOccupational Group.)

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25


State/Territory % No. % No.

Northern Territory 8.5 11 8.1 11New South Wales 1.0 21 1.1 24Queensland 1.0 4 1.0 4Western Australia 1.0 3 1.1 3Tasmania 1.0 2 1.6 3South Australia 0.8 3 1.1 4Victoria 0.5 4 0.7 5Australian Capital Territory 0.5 1 0.6 1

Total 1.1 49 1.2 55

Representation of Indigenous Peoples by State/Territory

(Number and percentage based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff, withinState/Territory.)

family/personal; and when contracts hadbeen completed.

The program maker group has the highestnumber of Indigenous staff followed by theadministrative/professional stream. Thereare few technologists and no seniorexecutives. The Northern Territory remainsthe highest area of Indigenous employmentand the only state or territory that has morethan 2% representation.

Census Data 2006 indicates Indigenouspeople make up 2.5% of the total Australian

population, an increase of 11% since the2001 census figures, reflecting a naturalpopulation increase and people newlyidentifying their Indigenous origin. Themedian age of Indigenous people is 20. Thestates/territories with the highest popula-tion of Indigenous people are New SouthWales (148,200), Queensland (146,400),Western Australia (77,900) and the NorthernTerritory (66,600).


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Indigenous Scholarship Awards 2007 PresentationABC Ultimo.L�R: Tracey Holmes, Grandstand Presenter ABCRadio, Peter Longman, Editor Radio Sport, RoannaEdwards, Radio Sport Trainee and guest speaker MarkElla

2006 Indigenous Scholarship Award winner EltonRosas with Denise Potter, National Learning Adviserfor Television, at Kalkaringi, NT.

2007 NAIDOC Week participants at ABC Ultimo.

Paul Brant, Indigenous Employment Co�ordinatorwith Chrissie Tucker, Manager Diversity (far right) atthe Diversity@work awards in Melbourne.


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RACE/ETHNICITY

Framework for an InclusiveWorkplace Based onRace/Ethnicity Backgrounds

The Equity and Diversity Management Plan2003-07 has diversity policies, objectivesand strategies that include references andinitiatives focussing on race/ethnicity andin particular on the representation ofpeople from a non-English speakingbackground.

The ABC Editorial Policies 2007 have asection, under the key area of contentstandards, dedicated to cultural diversitythat has links to employment considera-tions.

• The ABC is committed to contentwhich represents Australia’s cultural,ethnic and racial diversity.

• The Charter requires the broadcast ofprograms that contribute to a sense ofnational identity and reflect the culturaldiversity of the Australian community. Italso requires the Corporation to takeaccount of the multicultural character ofthe Australian community.

• Ensuring that the on-air and online“look” and “sound” of the Corporationadequately reflects Australia’s multicultur-al society also has employment implica-tions. The ABC has developed equity anddiversity plans to assist in its aims ofachieving an accurate representation ofthe composition of the Australiancommunity in the make-up of its workforce.


Employment Initiatives and AwarenessRaising

Information on events and programsrelating to race/ethnicity was distributed tosenior management, equity and diversitycontacts, journalists and program makersto increase awareness and content. Suchmaterial highlighted the government’sHarmony Day activities, consultations onrace issues and race and religiousdiscrimination. The News Division provid-ed information and workshop content thatrefers to cross-cultural reporting.

ABC staff continue to access the NewSouth Wales Skillmax Program, thatassists with spoken and written communi-cation skills in the workplace. Employeesattended the spoken communication skillsprogram during working hours or haveundertaken the written communicationskills distance-learning modules.

The Human Resources Division hascommenced information gathering andconsultation with external experts to assistthe understanding of the needs of staff inregard to faith practices in the workplace.An initial course has been undertaken onthe role and practices of Islam and Muslimpeople in Australia. This knowledge will befurther explored and applied to promotecultural awareness and application ofappropriate work practices.

There is a database of staff proficient innon-English languages and the ABC utilis-es this resource for a range of interpretingand translation requirements.

Managers are encouraged to participate inmigrant placement schemes and to


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provide work experience for people fromnon-English speaking backgrounds on anindividual request basis.

Divisional Strategies and Initiatives

The Radio and Regional Content Divisionaims to employ staff with backgroundsthat match local audiences. In SouthAustralia, 1062 ABC Riverland broadcaststhe Voice of Greece program. Theprogram also broadcasts CommunityService Announcements and informationon community issues, such as health, insix languages - English, Greek, Turkish,Punjabi, Vietnamese and Italian - toaccommodate the local community inwhich at least 14 languages are spoken.

The International, Corporate Strategy andGovernance Division’s, Radio Australia,employs a high number of staff from non-English speaking backgrounds and anumber of English-speaking backgroundemployees who also speak a second orthird language. The language skills ofthis part of the ABC’s workforce isessential to deliver a product to the AsiaPacific region.

The Television Division, on a needs basis,employs translators, script readers andassessors from diverse culturalbackgrounds to assist in program making.People with Mandarin, Cantonese,Croatian and Muslim backgrounds havebeen used during the past year.

The News Division continues to employ aLanguage Research Specialist whoadvises and produces information onlanguage, including non-discriminatorylanguage.

Additional Reporting

The ABC contributes to the Department ofImmigration and Citizenship, Accessible

Government Services For All report underfour performance indicators - respon-siveness, communication, accountabilityand leadership. The contribution includedinformation on the ABC’s AppreciationSurvey, which included additionalquestions relating to country of birth,languages spoken at home andIndigenous background. This data canassist the Corporation to gauge the appealof its services by community diversity andcan link this information and feedback tothe composition of the ABC workforce.

Profile of Non-EnglishSpeaking Workforce

The representation of staff from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB)increased to 11.2% at end-August 2007,with a total of 361 employees. There is ahigh representation of NESB staff in thetechnologist group and substantialnumbers in the administrative/profession-al, retail and senior executive categories.Compared to the other groups and themake-up of the national population, theprogram maker group requires furtherbreak-down of areas of low representa-tion and the identification of appropriatestrategies, in line with the equity anddiversity policies, plans and EditorialPolicies in regard to the diversity of thisgroup.

Of all the ABC staff who have completedthe EEO survey and nominated their non-English speaking language background,the main languages are: Italian (65),Chinese including Cantonese andMandarin (46), German (44), Greek (44),and French (35).

In the 2006 Census, 21% of Australiansspoke a language other than English intheir homes and collectively spoke over200 languages.


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Occupational Group No. % No. % No. % No. %

Senior Executive 28 11.6 242 85.2 27 11.3 238 86.5Administrative/Professional 93 16.9 550 76.4 98 17.1 574 79.0Program Maker 153 7.6 2024 68.1 154 7.3 2097 71.5Technologist 71 24.3 292 81.3 67 23.1 290 84.1Retail 16 15.5 103 55.1 15 13.0 115 62.8

Total 361 11.2 3211 71.0 361 10.9 3314 74.3

Representation of People of Non-English Speaking Background byOccupation

(Number and percentage based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff, within Occupational Group,who provided information on the ABC's EEO Data Collection Form in regard to their non-Englishspeaking background. Staff with EEO data represents Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff, whocompleted the language section of the EEO Data Collection Form - both English speaking and non-English speaking backgrounds.)

Staff with EEOData

Staff with EEOData


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DISABILITY

Framework for Access andInclusion of People withDisabilities

The Equity and Diversity Management Plan2003-07, incorporating the ABC’s DisabilityAction Plan, has policies, objectives andstrategies that include references andinitiatives focussing on disability employ-ment, access and services.

The ABC Editorial Policies 2007 includecontent standards on discrimination andstereotypes, with express reference topeople with disabilities. The use of theterm “mental illness” is explained, andreference is given to the availability ofexternal resources about portrayingpeople with a mental illness. The contentstandards also address accessibility withreferences to: closed captioning ondomestic television services for peoplewho are hearing impaired or deaf;accessible domestic television servicesfor people who are blind, have a visualimpairment or limited reading compre-hension; and ABC online accessibility.There are also comprehensive AccessibleTelevision Guidelines for audiencemembers who are blind or have a visualimpairment or limited reading compre-hension.

References to disability discrimination andstereotypes in the Editorial Policies aresupported by the ABC’s program maker’sguide, to assist the knowledge andunderstanding of the issues and portrayalof people with disabilities.


Employment Initiatives andAwareness Raising

The Human Resources Division hasundertaken a Workplace Mental HealthEducation and Training course thatincludes detailed information on therecognition of the range of mental health

problems in Australia, assessment ofrisks and support strategies. This type oftraining will be reviewed for widerapplication for human resources staff andmanagers.

ABC employees with new and pre-existinginjuries and/or disabilities are activelyprovided with support from the HumanResources Division in the form ofworkplace assessments and otherreasonable adjustments. Employees whorequire gradual reintroduction to workfollowing injury are also supported tomaximise their rehabilitation capacity.

The ABC continues to maintain itsconnection with the Comcare InteragencyJob Placement Program to facilitate theredeployment of injured workers, withaccepted Comcare claims, betweenfederal government agencies where thereis medical advice that the employee canno longer work at their own agency.

The objectives of the program are to:

• provide a structured rehabilitationprogram for employees who are fit towork but deemed unable to return to theirown agency on medical grounds;

• provide injured employees with skillsand recent work experience to maximisetheir chances of securing permanentalternate employment; and

• reduce the social and economic costof ongoing incapacity.

The ABC is currently accommodating anemployee from a federal governmentagency as part of a work trial agreementto upgrade the employee’s work skills andpromote return to the work force. Afederal government agency also assistedan ABC employee during 2006 toundertake a work trial under the program.The ABC also continues to respond, wherepossible, to requests from non-govern-ment agencies to assist injured workersto return to work by providing on the jobtraining programs.


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The Director of the News Division haspromoted the employment of people withdisabilities by continuing the employmentof an office assistant through an externaldisability job placement agency. Theappointment, in Ultimo, required jobdesign and a tailored training program toassist the employee to undertake therequired tasks. Similarly, the Radio andRegional Content Division has employed aproducer with a disability in SouthAustralia.

People with disabilities are also providedwith work experience at the ABC to assistthem with future job prospects.

Accessible formats are available forpotential job applicants and were providedon request during the year by mail, fax,email and online.

An “A to Z of Safety” site has beendeveloped on the ABC intranet thatincludes a section on information regard-ing staff with disabilities.

During the year the News Division widelydistributed a publication, Words Matter,produced by the Physical DisabilityCouncil of New South Wales Inc., to assistreporters with the language and issues ofreporting on content related to disability.

ABC Local Radio networks are involvedwith specific disability groups in their localcommunities such as the Spastic Centreof Australian Capital Territory, andsupport events and campaigns such as theInternational Day of People with aDisability and the “Don’t DIS my ABILITY”campaign, organised by the New SouthWales Department of Ageing, Disabilityand Home Care.

Divisional Access and ReasonableAdjustment

The Business Services Division continuedto improve compliant access to ABCproperties for both employees and visitorswith disabilities. Improvements for

access have been achieved by theprovision of compliant toilet facilitiesand/or general access as part of buildingrefurbishment and upgrade projects at theABC’s premises in Mt Gambier, WaggaWagga, Tamworth, Mildura, Horsham andDarwin.

Employees with disabilities are accommo-dated by the Technology and DistributionDivision with relevant technologicalworkplace adjustments on an individualneeds basis. NETIA V4 was installed inDigital Audio Workstations (DAW) in 1999-2000. Following the recommendation ofstaff in output and technical areas, Radio-Assist software became part of the DAWUpgrade Project. The system wasdeveloped by NETIA for their customerswho employ visually impaired or blindpresenters. Radio-Assist supports theuse of JAWS software and Zoom Textwhich work with Windows programs.Vision impaired users are able to “read”the text normally displayed on a computerscreen through feeling the Braille display.

Radio-Assist has also been included in theNETIA V7 upgrade which is currentlybeing implemented across ABC Radiostudios and facilities. This version workson any PC and provides enhancedfunctionality. To date NETIA V7 has beeninstalled in sites at Karratha, Geraldton,Brisbane, Radio National (Ultimo), Nowra,Wollongong, Burnie, Launceston andHobart. All remaining sites will beupgraded by July 2008.

The ABC continues to assess opportunitiesto increase the amount and diversity ofcaptioned programs for people who arehearing impaired or deaf taking intoaccount the costs of delivering this service.In 2006-07 the ABC Television broadcastover 6,000 hours of captioned programs onits main channel, across a range of genresincluding national and local news andcurrent affairs, drama and factualprograms. Over 700 hours of children’sand educational programs were captioned.For the first time broadcast of Anzac Daymarches across Australia were captioned.


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Currently almost 100% of programsbroadcast in the primetime schedule (6pmto midnight) are now captioned, withoverall captioning levels for the ABC mainchannel (6am to midnight) exceeding 65%and aimed to be at 70% by the end of2007. The captioning level for ABC2 hasreached over 60% of the 6am to midnightschedule, with increased captioning ofprograms across a range of genres.

The Innovation Division has developedcomprehensive online productionguidelines that assist the ABC in its aim tomake its online services accessible toaudience members who are blind or havea visual impairment. There is aTeletypewriter (TTY) facility available forthe purpose of contacting the ABC aboutservices and programs.

Additional Reporting

The ABC reports separately as both anemployer and a provider of services under

the Commonwealth Disability Strategy inthe ABC Annual Report.

The ABC Advisory Council membersinclude people with disabilities andconsultations are held in the communityregarding disability perspectives andrecommendations are included in reportsto the Corporation.

Profile of Employees withDisabilities

There are 236 employees with disabilities,representing 9.5% of staff who haveprovided EEO data, which is nearly doublethe ABC’s target of 5% people withdisabilities of all staff. In the ABS 2003Disability, Ageing and Carers: Summaryof Findings Report, one in five people (or20%) in Australia had a reported disabilityand of those between 15 and 64 years ofage people with disabilities represented16.8%.


Occupational Group No. % No. % No. % No. %

Senior Executive 17 8.6 197 69.4 21 10.7 197 71.6Administrative/Professional 49 10.2 481 66.8 55 11.0 501 68.9Program Maker 133 9.1 1460 49.1 138 9.2 1497 51.1Technologist 28 11.5 243 67.7 31 13.0 238 69.0Retail 9 9.6 94 50.3 10 9.4 106 57.9

Total 236 9.5 2475 54.7 255 10.0 2539 56.9

Representation of People with Disabilities by Occupation(Number and percentage based on Total Head Count, Non-Casual Staff, within OccupationalGroup, who provided information on the ABC’s EEO Data Collection Form that indicated theyhave a disability. The Staff with EEO data figures represents Total Head Count, Non-CasualStaff, who completed the disability section of the EEO Data Collection Form – both those whohave a disability and those who do not have a disability.)

Staff withEEO Data

Staff withEEO Data


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WORKPLACE CULTUREAND FLEXIBILITY

Framework for a Positive,Flexible and Inclusive WorkEnvironment

In line with the Equity and DiversityManagement Plan there are a range ofpolicies, strategies and activities thatcontribute to a positive, flexible andinclusive working environment. Areas offocus include discrimination, harassment,bullying, work/life balance and the ageprofile of the Corporation linked toworkplace planning. In regard to work/lifebalance, although strategies are targetedto all staff, the areas of pregnancy,maternity leave and return to work, andthe primary care of children and eldersmainly affect women employees. However,the take-up and interest of male staff ofinitiatives and the range of work/life activi-ties broadens the relevance and coverage.

The ABC Employment Agreement 2006 to2009 has re-confirmed a raft of flexibleworking conditions and introduced greaterflexibility with access to personal leave,clarified the parental leave provisions andreturning to work from parental leave andintroduced purchased leave.

The ABC leadership and managementlearning programs, the mandatoryCreating a Better Place to WorkWorkshops and the induction program,provide learning experiences and informa-tion about a positive work culture, theABC’s discrimination, harassment andanti-bullying policies and the complaintand grievance resolution processes.

A comprehensive case managementsystem, CaseTrack, was implemented toensure misconduct and performanceissues are efficiently and consistentlymanaged across the Corporation. In July

2007 a further module was introduced toinclude grievances, including bullying anddiscrimination matters.

The About Choice booklets for managersand staff outline entitlements, sources ofsupport, considerations for applying forflexible work arrangements, case studies,frequently asked questions, ideas,checklists and planning.

The childcare facility at Ultimo received anannual financial subsidy whichcommenced in January 2003, for a periodof five years, securing 24 ABC-priorityplaces. An arrangement and financialcontribution with the University ofTechnology (UTS) Sydney provides for 25places across three UTS centres for ABCstaff. The Melbourne off-site jointchildcare facility continues to assist staffwith childcare places. There are alsoparenting rooms located around Australiafor staff and visitors and a comprehensivevacation care information service providedto New South Wales staff.

The national Employee AssistanceProgram (EAP) provided by DavidsonTrahaire Corpsych continues to assistemployees and their families withcounselling for both work and personalproblems and the peer support scheme inTasmania provides complementaryassistance to local staff.

The national Work/Life Balance programdelivers seminars, guest speakers andactivities that assist staff with work/lifebalance awareness and practical support.


Divisions have reported that they areproactively exploring ways of assistingolder employees approaching retirementwith flexible working arrangements,approving part-time and job share arrange-ments and providing relocation to assist


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with family commitments. The NewsDivision continues to base their rosterpreparation on a request basis to meet theneeds of individual staff requirements.The News Division has also developed aTrauma Awareness program for journal-ists, camera crews and production staff,which was launched in May 2007. Thethree-tier program provides peer support,manager and staff awareness of traumaand related issues.

Around Australia in late 2006, a number ofHuman Resources staff attended Bullyingin the Workplace seminars conducted byComcare to assess guidelines on effectivesystems for the prevention of bullying inthe workplace.

There were 495 managers and staffaround Australia who attended themandatory three-hour Creating a BetterPlace to Work workshop during 2006-07.This program, which has covered 4,863employees overall, has raised staffawareness of conflict resolution, bullying,discrimination and harassment policiesand has contributed to a more positiveworkplace.

During the reporting period 163 womenwere undertaking maternity leave, sixmen were on parental leave without payand at the end of August 2007 there were453 female and 111 male ongoing part-time employees.

The EAP program for the year wasaccessed by 355 ABC staff and familymembers, including from Indigenous,disability and cultural/linguistic groupsand across all age groups.

Around Australia the work/life programcontinued with a range of lifestyle andhealth related seminars, classes andmembership offers to local health centresand activities for ABC staff.

The ABC was again ranked in the top 25Australian organisations, from over 280participants, in the 2007 NationalWork/Life Benchmarking Study. The ABCjoined, along with a number of otherorganisations, a focus group that providedfeedback on the content and usefulness ofthe study.


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Objectives and EvaluationObjectives and Evaluation


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Setting Objectives andSelecting Indicators

The objectives of the Equity and DiversityManagement Plan 2003-07 are:

• To provide leadership and commit-ment to equity and diversity outcomes inemployment and services.

• To develop and implement targets,practices and opportunities that encour-age and support a diverse workforcelinked to ABC services.

• That managers and staff are provid-ed with ongoing training, information andforums on equity and diversity policiesand practices, including legislativechanges and business and societal trends.

• That equity and diversity policies,guidelines and initiatives are consistent,accessible and integrated with objectivesand practices at the local level.

• To review and implement policiesthat promote a fair and harassment/ bul-lying/ discrimination-free work environ-ment.

• To provide conditions of service andpractices that acknowledge and assistmanagers and staff to balance work andlife commitments.

Each division has a number of strategies,for each of these objectives, which arealso linked to their overall divisionalplans.

The ABC Corporate Plan 2004-07 indicat-ed objectives of a minimum of 2% level ofIndigenous employment and a minimumof 5% employment of people with disabili-ties. Other targets may be determinedlocally by divisional directors, whereunder/over representation occurs.

The Indigenous Employment Plan’s objec-tives are:

• high-level leadership;• a proactive approach to recruitment;• employment opportunities across alllevels;• greater emphasis on career planningand retention;• addressing under-representation inparticular areas; and• extending external liaison and part-nerships.

The Disability Action Plan, which is regis-tered with the Human Rights and EqualOpportunity Commission, has objectivesaimed to ensure that:

• people with disabilities have accessand equity in all areas of employment;• the ABC’s Disability Action Plan andoutcomes are communicated widely;• people with disabilities have accessand reasonable adjustment in regard toABC locations and facilities; and• ABC products and services are inclu-sive and accessible for people with dis-abilities.

Both the Indigenous Employment Planand the Disability Action Plan form part of

Objectives and EvaluationIn regard to how the ABC’s EEO program is measured the EqualEmployment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987requires the actions of Setting Objectives and Selecting Indicators(Section 6(g)) and Monitoring and Evaluation (Section 6(h)).


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the overall Equity and DiversityManagement Plan.

During 2007 the new Equity and DiversityPlan will be developed and launched andwill cover the period 2007-10. As part ofthe development of the new Plan all relat-ed plans and policies will be reviewedalong with publications, brochures and theintranet site.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The new Equity and Diversity Plan will haveobjectives and strategies and a summaryof the progress against the expiring Planhas been prepared as a tool to assist withthe new Plan’s focus and objectives.

The overall progress is reported in theABC’s Equity and Diversity Annual Reportand the ABC Annual Report. The previousyear’s activities were reported in theEquity and Diversity Annual Report, whichwas tabled in the House of Representativesand the Senate on 7 February 2007 and inthe ABC Annual Report.

Other forums for accountability include the

Department of Immigration and CitizenshipAccessible Government Services For Allreport, the Commonwealth DisabilityStrategy performance reporting require-ments and other government require-ments and enquiries.

Sources that provide the ABC with moni-toring and evaluation of specific initiativesare the progressive reports of theEmployee Assistance Program and theGrievance Contact Officers and the one-offreports such as the Review of the Anti-Bullying Policy. These sources provideaggregate information and highlighttrends, usage and feedback of services.Other forms of monitoring and evaluationinclude the Indigenous Staff Conferenceparticipants’ evaluations and the individualevaluation responses of the Creating aBetter Place to Work Workshops,Springboard program and the activities ofthe Women Working in Television project.

The Corporation continues to be recognisedby external benchmarking exercises andawards as progressive and implementingbest practice in its diversity initiatives.


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