Home page > About the Commission > Public Service Commissioner > Media archive > Speech: Helen Williams

1997 Equality Awards for Innovative Practice in Equal Employment Opportunity in the Australian Public Service

Helen Williams AO
Public Service Commissioner
Workplace Diversity: Innovation and Performance Conference
Tuesday 10 February 1998

It's always good to be able to begin a new job on a high and these Equality Awards - and the standard of performance that they demonstrate - clearly come into that category;

Over the past thirteen years, the Public Service has seen the introduction of both legislative measures and a wide range of policies and programs to combat discrimination and promote equal employment opportunity. And those of us who have been involved over that time can see how this framework has brought about an enormous change in people management in the APS;

Of course the Australian Public Service is very different now from those early years - new issues and challenges include reforms to both workplace relations and the public sector - workplace bargaining, new patterns of recruitment, downsizing, outsourcing;

But what is recognised now is that that early approach, although clearly of continuing importance for ensuring employment equity for disadvantaged groups, no longer provides a sufficiently broad framework to take us into the new millennium;

From my discussions with staff and managers at all levels of service, I am concerned that too many of us still see EEO in a restricted sense - as fundamentally an internal welfare measure;

To me, it is very important that we recognise that EEO and the broader concept of workplace diversity are not some form of staff welfare but are an investment in people which we make for sound organisation and performance reasons. This is a cultural shift with a whole new set of implications;

We need to focus on the positive advantages in taking a diversity approach to managing people in organisations. Workplace diversity recognises the positive contribution that diverse skills, talents and perspectives can make to results, leading to innovative solutions, improved service to clients at lower cost and, ultimately, to increased competitiveness;

I believe the development of Workplace Diversity Programs across every APS agency will lead to benefits for staff, the Government of the day, and the Australian people we serve. I hope you will join me in recognising these benefits;

So now, I have great pleasure in introducing Dr David Kemp, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, to present the 1997 Australian Public Service Equality Awards for Innovative Practice in Equal Employment Opportunity.