There is a growing frustration inside of me, that many DEI practitioners are talking about intersectionality but when it comes to the doing of the work – it’s still mostly single identity focused.

As a DEI consultant in Australia, the lack of attention and focus placed on cultural differences and racism continues to astound me. As an example, TAFE institutes in Victoria (Technical and Further Education) have seen an explosion in the diversity of their students as a result of the free TAFE program.

Creating an inclusive workplace doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are three cost-effective ways to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in your organisation:

As a consultant in the diversity, equity and inclusion space, I often encounter clients who are excited about their latest social media campaign or inclusion statement supporting a marginalised or underserved group.

But they can’t thrive if we don’t remove the barriers to inclusion.

Mid sentence. Mid thought. My brain can just head off on a completely different tangent. 

Some people when in conversation with me will say  “where did you go?”

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have become central themes in workplaces around the globe. Many clients come to me excited by the fact that they have secured budget and approval to run compulsory unconscious bias training or LGBTIQA+ inclusion training.

A few weeks ago I was travelling on my way to Melbourne to deliver a workshop and I had a little itch in my eye. I went to scratch it and instantly I was transported to 15 years earlier when doing that same action was dangerous.

2023 was the year of sorting persistent health issues for me and it also happened to be the year perimenopause commenced. Right on schedule in fact as the average age bracket for the commencement of perimenopause is 40-44 years of age.

We’re in the middle of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence and over the weekend, Maria Dimasi (85) was murdered in Adelaide, her husband has been arrested for her murder.

Australian organisations are starting to understand that to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment we must look beyond gender. Race, religion, sexuality, disability and age are all attributes that impact our experiences in the workplace and must become front and centre of our DEI work.

I am so tired of the conversation surrounding trans people in sport. I saw the announcement from Basketball Australia that they were not going to allow Lexi Rogers to play, and my heart sunk.

A microaggression (according to the merriam-webster dictionary) is a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalised group (such as a racial minority).

There is confusion for allies about when they can speak to drive forward inclusion and when they need to step aside and let those with lived experience take the mantle.

The black lives matter movement marked a change in people’s relationships to their identity. Straightness, whiteness, and other identities that may once have been taken for granted are beginning to be called into question.

The Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence recently finished in early December. Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) remains the most prevalent human rights violation worldwide. It is estimated that over one in three women are affected, a statistic that has remained the same over the last decade.

Many workplace leaders and employees genuinely feel as though they’re doing the right things – treating everybody equally and with respect. I come across plenty of good people who believe they are inclusive, that they treat everybody the same regardless of background.

This month in our member-only session, we discussed the complexities of privilege and power that come with being a straight, white, able-bodied male working to create inclusion. 

I won’t lie, I was very excited for this important discussion but also conscious of the difficulty of the discussion.

This iteration of Practical Inclusion – a series of conversations with leading Diversity and Inclusion practitioners working to create change – is on a topic close to my heart: gender affirmation. I speak with Michelle Sheppard and Luke Futcher-Daniels, who worked on the terrific Victorian State Government Department of Transport’s gender affirmation resource.

In this episode of Practical Inclusion, I spoke to Dr Jiawen Li, who is an inventor and engineer. Jiawen’s work is beyond impressive – a senior lecturer in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Adelaide and recipient of the Superstars of STEM award, she’s developed fibre-optic probes that are reshaping the way heart disease is imaged.

Clothes shopping can be a challenge for many trans and gender diverse people. Mainstream fashion is largely constructed around the gender binary, and may not offer affirming styles in appropriate sizes.