Equity & Diversity Annual Report – 2010 Foreword

The Reserve Bank aims to ensure that all staff are treated with dignity and respect and that they experience equal opportunity throughout their career in the Bank. It does so by implementing policies, guidelines and programs that support equity and diversity in the workplace, and by ensuring that staff are aware of their rights, responsibilities and opportunities. This is a challenging task since changes to the Bank's workforce and in the external environment mean that policies and practices must be continually updated if equity and diversity are to remain firmly embedded in our workplace. This process of renewal is facilitated by means of a Diversity Plan which is updated every three years.

As foreshadowed in the Bank's Diversity Plan 2009–2011, considerable effort was expended over the past year in achieving a better understanding of diversity-related issues particularly those relating to gender and work/life balance. This analysis is providing an important platform for our deliberations about possible changes to equity and diversity policies over the coming year. In addition, the accessibility of the Bank's information and systems was further enhanced over the past twelve months, complemented by efforts to raise staff awareness about accessibility issues. Finally, a number of initiatives were put in place to increase the representation in the Bank of people from an indigenous Australian background.

Keith Hall
Chairperson
Equity & Diversity Policy Committee