Equity and Diversity Plan

FLEET aims to:

• ensure fair policies and workplace practices that comply with the equal opportunities policies at all participating organisations.
• foster a culture of inclusiveness and eliminate all forms of discrimination.
• increase diversity among all cohorts of FLEET researchers.

In particular, FLEET aims to achieve at least 30% women researchers and HDR students and increase the representation of members from other minority and under-represented groups across FLEET. We will rely on:

• promoting the participation of young women and students from other under-represented groups in STEM subjects through outreach activities overseen by the FLEET outreach committee.
• recruitment strategies to attract scientists from under-represented groups at all career stages to FLEET
• career support initiatives to create gender equity at the workplace and retain scientists from under-represented groups.

The FLEET Equity and Diversity Committee has representatives in each node, will oversee the implementation of this plan, and monitor levels of satisfaction with equity and diversity issues in FLEET through annual surveys. The committee will also monitor and implement the best practices in gender equity across the STEM sector.

Since 2017, the Committee has conducted an extensive survey of the E&D practices at all participating organisations to ensure that the FLEET plan is aligned with the policies put in place by the HR areas at individual nodes.

Career support in FLEET

FLEET aims to create and maintain a working environment that serves to eliminate the conflict of research and family commitments. While addressing the gender equity problem and supporting the development of women in leadership roles, the following measures are designed to improve the working environment for all researchers:

• Retain women and members from under-represented groups after the first postdoc
• Redirect strategic support to a project if a leader is on a maternity or paternity leave
• Assist with family travel and childcare expenses associated with a FLEET member attending a conference, see Carers’ Grants
• Enforce positive family-friendly working practices across FLEET, such as:
  • Flexible working hours
  • Focus on the outcomes rather than physical attendance
  • Scheduling important meetings during ‘core’ school hours
  • Subject to space availability at FLEET nodes, establish privacy rooms that can be used, e.g., for feeding young children, praying and meditation

• Women-specific mentoring network: individual mentoring face-to-face, online, and via teleconferencing; as well as group goal-oriented mentoring via dedicated lectures by leading women in STEM at annual FLEET meetings.
• Support women to participate in leadership training opportunities such as the Women and Leadership Australia Leading Edge Program

FLEET Recruitment Policy

• Offer ‘Women in FLEET’ and ‘Diversity in FLEET’ scholarships and fellowships for outstanding honours and HDR students and ECR researchers
• Have 50/50 gender-balanced representation on selection panels; ensure that all members of the selection panel are aware of the implicit bias issues and gender-coded language.
• Implement the “50/50 if not then why not” policy for shortlisting.
• Offer all new personnel online induction modules that will promote FLEET E&D policy, facilitate awareness of gender equity issues (e.g., the Implicit Bias test), as well as broader access and inclusion issues (e.g., LGBTIQ Allyship training)
• Actively encourage the following family-friendly work arrangements:
  • part-time appointments
  • project sharing

Equity, Diversity and inclusion training requirement

FLEET has people of more than 27 nationalities from various cultural backgrounds across all levels of the Centre. We are creating a respectful workplace that is free from discrimination and values the contributions of all members.

To help us become more aware of unconscious bias and other barriers to cultural and gender diversity and inclusion, every FLEET member (CIs, postdoctoral fellows, and students) must attend at least one training workshop or training session in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion per year and report it in the FLEET Member Portal.

Members may choose to avail themselves of any training and development opportunity of their choice (face-to-face session, webinar, or online module). To assist our members, the FLEET Equity and Diversity webpage now provides links to resources and opportunities available at individual nodes, including those provided by the Diversity Council of Australia.

Other associated guidelines

Guidelines for FLEET supported events: these may include sponsorship, full or partial funding, co-branding, or significant participation of FLEET members. The guideline is currently available publicly.

Guidelines for Acknowledging Country: members are encouraged to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country at the beginning of any formal functions, meetings and forums, and in documents such as the Centre annual report and PhD theses.