Employment support for LGBTQIA+ staff

Inclusion and diversity

We’re proud of our commitment to creating a safe and inclusive workplace for people of all sexualities and gender identities.

Our Workplace Inclusion and Diversity Strategy 2019-23 shows how we’re building a more inclusive culture. We believe a diverse workforce helps us deliver better services to our customers.

We’re one of the only 2 Australian Government agencies to be recognised as Platinum Tier Employer in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI). AWEI is Australia’s national benchmark for LGBTQIA+ inclusion at work. Platinum Tier is the highest level of recognition in the AWEI.

We’ve achieved this through:

inclusive HR policies
equal benefits for same-sex couples
access to paid and unpaid leave for transgender and gender diverse staff to affirm their gender
LGBTQIA+ inclusive employee resources
an LGBTQIA+ Ally program
celebrating days of significance for LGBTQIA+ staff
an active membership with Pride in Diversity and more.

Our recruitment process

We hire people staff by merit. This means we look at:

your skills, abilities and experience
how well you fit the requirements of the job
how you compare to other applicants.

We treat everyone fairly and equally without discrimination during the recruitment process and once employed.

If you have questions about a role, you can contact the Contact Officer listed on the Job Pack.

If you want to know more about how we make our recruitment processes inclusive, email inclusion.and.diversity@servicesaustralia.gov.au. Your email will be confidential.

Let us know if you need support with:

submitting your application
providing identity documents
attending an interview, assessment or medical check.

Find out more about workplace diversity and inclusion.

Our policies

Same sex couples have the same rights to partner and child related leave as everyone else. This includes:

carers leave
compassionate leave
supporting partner leave
parental leave.

Parental leave covers:

birth
adoption
fostering
surrogacy.

Transgender and gender diverse staff can also take paid and unpaid leave to affirm their gender.

We support all staff to express the gender identity. This includes choosing what to wear at work and the facilities they feel safe in.

Our support for transgender and gender diverse staff

We know gender identity can be expressed in many ways, such as:

transgender
gender diverse
gender fluid.

All gender identities are welcome in our workplace. We show support through:

leave policies to ensure transgender and gender diverse staff have fair access to leave for themselves and their families
surrogacy leave for staff who become parents through legal surrogacy
the freedom to wear business clothes that match your gender identity
the freedom to use building facilities you feel comfortable using
paid and unpaid leave for gender affirmation
a supportive community through Rainbow Connection
a safe space for open conversation through the Rainbow Roundtable.

Our LGBTQIA+ staff network

The Rainbow Connection is our network for LGBTQIA+ staff and allies. It’s open to anyone who is LGBTQIA+ and anyone who wants to support them.

The network helps staff to:

connect and support each other
ask for and offer advice
share knowledge and experiences.

Our LGBTQIA+ Allies

Many of our staff are LGBTQIA+ Allies. Allies are people who actively support LGBTQIA+ inclusion. They can be non-LGBTQIA+ or people in the LGBTQIA+ community who support others.

We also have a Senior Executive LGBTQIA+ Ally who helps make LGBTQIA+ inclusion visible in our workplace by:

raising awareness and showing how to be inclusive
celebrating LGBTQIA+ days of significance
representing the needs of LGBTQIA+ staff across the organisation and wider Australian Public Service.

The Rainbow Roundtable brings together the Senior Executive LGBTQIA+ Ally, Rainbow Connection members and the Workforce Capability Division. It’s a chance to talk and listen to each other to:

learn about workplace culture and staff experiences
understand how our inclusion efforts are working
help shape our Inclusion and Diversity plan
create and deliver a yearly plan to better support LGBTQIA+ staff.

Our training and support programs

We offer training and resources to help create a safe and inclusive workplace.

All staff can get free mental health support through our Employee Assistance Program, TELUS Health. This includes support for LGBTQIA+ staff, their families and friends.