The newly established WorkSafe ACT has launched a women’s committee for its staff to improve workforce equality.
Work Health and Safety Commissioner Jacqueline Agius said she had seen discrimination and gender imbalance in workplaces too often, and the time had come to move forward and create better working environments.
“By setting up a women’s committee for our staff, we’re encouraging a more inclusive culture, not just in the workplace, but in our community,” Ms Agius said.
“People should feel supported as recognised contributors to our organisation,” she said.
Ms Agius said WorkSafe ACT recognised that equity and diversity contributed greatly to innovation, employee engagement and improved productivity in the workplace.
Deputy Commissioner of Work Health and Safety, Amanda Grey said the women’s committee aimed to build an understanding and appreciation of the needs of women, those who identified as women and people who were non-binary.
Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Suzanne Orr said the committee would have a positive impact on the culture of WorkSafe and the workplaces it regulated.
“WorkSafe’s new women’s committee will provide the regulator with an opportunity to support women within its own workforce and achieve balanced gender representation within its operations,” Ms Orr said.
“The ACT Public Service and other statutory organisations are places where inclusion and diversity are embraced and I’m pleased to see the new, independent WorkSafe ACT implementing this fantastic initiative,” she said.
