Across workplace culture, recruitment, and employment there’s much that public sector workplaces can do to improve opportunities for First Nations staff. Participants of the IPAA ACT 2022 NAIDOC Hackathon tell us how.
The public sector and Australian governments have long prioritised employment outcomes for First Nations people, yet, there still are ongoing disparities between First Nations and non-First Nations employees in the APS, a recent APSC report has shown.
To tackle this issue, during NAIDOC Week 2022, IPAA ACT with the support of the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) and the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) hosted a Hackathon. On the day, 64 First Nations and non-First Nations participants set out to find tangible ways to improve recruitment and retention outcomes for First Nations employees across four specific domains: workplace culture, recruitment, employment, and career pathways.
Using ‘backcasting’ - framing the discussion around an imagined success state set in 2026 – Hackathon participants worked with a scenario in which First Nations employees made up 5 per cent of the APS senior executive service and representation rates had improved across the public service. They then brainstormed how this success rate had been achieved and the barriers associated with this goal.
First and foremost, our participants identified the urgent need for public sector workplaces to prioritise culturally save and inclusive environments to improve outcomes, but also to support the broader work of truth telling in the reconciliation process. Public sector leaders needed to act on this now, to tackle inappropriate behaviours in the workplace and establish integrity.
Building on these principles, here are some of their key recommendations to enhance culture at public sector workplaces:
To improve recruitment, participants recommended workplaces should:
In the employment space, participants made a further six recommendations, saying that employers need to:
Finally, participants recommended ways to improve career pathways in the public sector. They said that employers should:
To successfully implement these recommendations within these areas, public sector workplaces will have to first focus on creating a culturally safe and inclusive workplace. This will help overcome the remaining disparities between First Nations and non-First Nations staff.
Read the full Hackathon report here. Professor Janine O’Flynn from ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and David Pullen from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) talk us through the key ingredients for great partnerships on our recent Work with Purpose episode. In Work with Purpose’s first instalment of 2023, neurodiversity thought leaders Lee Steel, Robin Edmonds, and Andrew Pfeiffer tell the story of an imaginary future set in 2028, when Australia’s public sector has created inclusive and diverse work environments. They also give some tangible tips on how to make workplaces more accessible right now. Across workplace culture, recruitment, and employment there’s much that public sector workplaces can do to improve opportunities for First Nations staff. Participants of the IPAA ACT 2022 NAIDOC Hackathon tell us how. Key lessons from the discussions with our Senior Executive Conversations experts to guide your leadership journey – now and into the future.
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