2.6 Cultural and linguistic connections

Having a culturally and linguistically diverse workforce is one way the APS can understand the range of views that represent people’s experiences.

Culturally and linguistically diverse Australians make up a substantial proportion of the Australian population. ABS census data showed that, in 2021, around one-quarter of Australia’s population (27.6%) were born overseas. The APS workforce mirrors this diversity, with 22.7% of employees recorded as born outside of Australia, and a similar proportion stating they first spoke a language other than English (23.2%).[24] These figures have gradually but steadily increased over the last 20 years. These trends highlight the strong representative connections between the APS workforce and the wider Australian population, including those of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Of APS employees born overseas, the proportion born in European countries has decreased steadily since 2003, while the proportion born in Asian countries has increased. This trend continued in 2021–22, with 26.1% of APS employees born overseas being from European countries, and 48.9% being from Asian countries. Other regions have only changed marginally over the last 20 years, and each make up less than 10% of the APS workforce born overseas (Figure 2.19).

Figure 2.19: Region of birth for APS employees born overseas (2003 to 2022)

Source: APSED

Excluding Australia, the most common countries of birth of APS employees include India (3%), England (2.8%) and China (1.4%). These largely reflect the composition of the wider Australian population (Figure 2.20).

Figure 2.20: Country of birth of APS employees and the Australian population, excluding Australia (30 June 2022)

Source: APSED and ABS[25]

The proportion of APS employees whose first language was English only has steadily decreased over the last 20 years, from 82% in 2003 to 76.7% in 2022. Similarly, proportions of those whose first languages were English and another language increased from 7.7% in 2003 to 12.2% in 2022.
 

Racism. It Stops With Me Australian - Human Rights Commission

Racism. It Stops With Me is a priority initiative of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

This national public awareness campaign provides tools and resources to help people and organisations learn more about racism and develop the skills to act against it. The campaign invites all members of the Australian community to reflect on and educate themselves about what they can do to challenge interpersonal, institutional, and systemic racism and work within their sphere of influence to create meaningful change.

As part of the campaign, a Workplace Cultural Diversity tool is freely available online. This self-assessment tool supports organisations to increase cultural diversity and inclusion by way of a commitment to anti-racist practice. By prompting organisations to think critically about the role of racism in the workplace, the tool aims to support a more robust approach to cultural safety, cultural competency, cultural diversity and inclusion.

The comprehensive resource hub also showcases Australian organisations’ experiences with improving aspects of cultural diversity and inclusion across different sectors.

Read more about the Racism. It Stops With Me campaign Explore the AHRC resource hub Discover the AHRC Workplace Diversity Tool