Griffith University has been recognised with Bronze Tier status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) at the 2020 Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards, which were held online.

The University was also one of only two Queensland universities to receive acknowledgement at the awards ceremony and one of ten universities nationally.

Griffith was one of the top three organisations recognised within the Bronze Tier, which also included workplaces like The Star Entertainment Group and a range of federal government agencies including the Department of Health, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Tax Office.

Griffith Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Carolyn Evans

President and Vice Chancellor Professor Carolyn Evans was delighted to see Griffith’s efforts recognised at the awards.

Griffith places high value on embracing diversity, being inclusive and enabling a culture that ensures that all staff and students are provided with a safe and supportive environment,” Professor Evans said.

The 2020 Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards is the country’s leading annual celebration of LGBTQ workplace inclusion and hosted by ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, the national not-for-profit LGBTQ inclusion support program for employers, sporting organisations and service providers.

ACON’s Dawn Hough said 2020 marked an important milestone for the AWEI, being it’s tenth anniversary.

“Once again, we have record numbers of employers across all sectors and states participating in the indices,” she said.

Marnie King
Photo: Bradley Cummings

HR Lead for equity, diversity and inclusion at Griffith, Marnie King, said Bronze Tier status was fantastic recognition of the efforts of current and past Pride Committee members.

“Recent achievements have included launching guidelines for supporting gender affirmation/transitioning in the workplace, installing an all-gender toilet in the new Engineering, Technology and Aviation Building on Nathan Campus, improving the information and communication on LGBTIQ+ inclusion on our website and launching a LGBTIQ+ video featuring the Vice Chancellor,” Marnie said.

“We also celebrate days of significance by raising the rainbow flag on all campuses, ensure all Griffith forms recognise the diversity of gender, provide workshops on LGBTIQ+ inclusion and have made improvements in pre-departure guidance for incoming and outgoing students.”

Chair of Griffith’s Pride Committee, Maddison Harrington said the AWEI result formally recognised that Griffith’s founding values of inclusivity and equality remain at the forefront of its actions, even in 2020.

“It provides recognition for all the Griffith staff working tirelessly behind the scenes pushing for greater diversity and inclusion at the University, to make it a safe place to bring your whole self to work or study,” Maddison said.

The AWEI is a rigorous and evidence-based benchmarking tool that annually assesses workplaces in the progress and impact of LGBTQ inclusion initiatives.

2020 marks the first time Griffith has been recognised with Tier status.