A recent Daily Telegraph report exposing thousands of cases of sexual harassment, bullying, and assault within NSW government workplaces underscores an urgent need for change. Many Australian workplaces, particularly in the public sector, still struggle to create safe, respectful, and inclusive environments for their employees.
In particular, the challenges that women of colour face in Australian workplaces are significantly compounded. Research shows that women of colour encounter higher rates of discrimination, harassment, and bullying, and often endure additional unique barriers that their colleagues from majority backgrounds do not.
If diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives are to achieve their promise, they must address these issues head-on. Beyond being a matter of compliance or ethics, DE&I efforts must become central to organisational culture if they are to effectively shape the environments where employees spend so much of their time.
A recent 2024 study by Women of Colour Australia revealed that 68.4 per cent of women of colour have experienced discrimination in the workplace, a statistic that has jumped by nearly 10 per cent in a three-year timespan. Of all the incidents reported, over 93 per cent of them were attributed to racism.
Globally, similar trends persist: according to McKinsey’s 2023 Women in the Workplace report, women experience “microaggressions” at a significantly higher rate than men, and for women with traditionally marginalised identities, these slights happen more often and are even more demeaning. For Indigenous women and women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, these experiences are compounded by the daily “double bind” of racism and sexism, leading to chronic stress and reduced engagement.
Meanwhile, the looming spectre of a now inevitable Trump presidency in the US highlights the fragility of hard-won DE&I progress.
With the return of a leader who has actively sought to dismantle DE&I protections, the international landscape may well shift, and it will be crucial for Australia to remain vigilant.
Trump’s influence could see a weakening of progressive cultural norms, which may trickle down globally and spark renewed resistance to DE&I efforts. In this context, Australia’s public sector has an opportunity to lead by example, doubling down on its DE&I commitments and prioritising safe workplaces for all.
Cultural change must be the focus
In public organisations, DE&I efforts must extend beyond awareness into actionable and enforceable cultural change. The real question is how to embed DE&I so deeply into organisational culture that misconduct can’t thrive.
Cultural change means actively challenging “shadow values” – implicit beliefs or tolerated behaviours that often reinforce the marginalisation of women of colour and let harassment go unaddressed. According to The Ethics Centre, shadow values are a major blind spot, shaping organisational culture and making it especially difficult for women from minority backgrounds to feel safe and protected at work.
For women of colour, who may face additional barriers, traditional DE&I training is insufficient. They need rigorous and protective policies, transparent and accessible reporting mechanisms, and leaders who are held accountable for ensuring their psychological safety. By addressing these unique needs, organisations can better support these employees and set a standard for safety and respect for everyone.
Why misconduct often persists despite DE&I initiatives
Many public organisations already have DE&I initiatives, yet, as the Daily Telegraph report illustrates, these efforts often don’t translate to meaningful change on the ground.
Too often, DE&I initiatives are reactive rather than proactive – responding to crises rather than working to prevent them. If DE&I remains a “nice to have” rather than a core organisational imperative, harassment and misconduct will continue to surface in devastating reports, damaging employee trust and public confidence.
The repercussions of neglecting DE&I are severe and costly. Institutions that fail to act on harassment or that treat DE&I as a “soft” issue routinely face legal, reputational, operational, and strategic risks. The result is disengaged employees, increased turnover, declining productivity, and ultimately the loss of valuable public trust in organisations.
It is essential that DE&I initiatives be grounded in tangible, actionable commitments, including leadership accountability, routine culture assessments, and regular training in cultural literacy, psychological safety, and ethical leadership.
How a Trump presidency could impact DE&I in Australia
A second Trump presidency in the US, where DE&I protections have already been rolled back in key sectors, has international implications.
Trump’s administration previously weakened civil rights protections, dismissed DE&I as “woke ideology,” and exacerbated societal divisions through inflammatory rhetoric.
These actions had a chilling effect on inclusion efforts worldwide, and Trump’s return could further embolden factions against DE&I principles in Australia. For women of colour, this could mean a rollback on already limited protections, and fewer allies in the fight for equity and safety.
In Australia, there’s no guarantee that we will be immune to this influence as a nation. Trump’s presence on the world stage could embolden certain factions within corporate and public organisations here to deprioritise DE&I efforts or undermine them. However, this also presents an opportunity for Australia to strengthen its resolve and build a more robust DE&I framework that can withstand external pressures.
The lesson is clear: we must be proactive, doubling down on DE&I to ensure we don’t backslide under global influences.
What Australian organisations must do now to prevent future misconduct
The path to safer, more inclusive workplaces requires sustained commitment, action, and investment.
For Australian public organisations to lead by example, they must focus on embedding DE&I as an organisational non-negotiable – a “must-have” rather than a “nice-to-have.”
This includes:
- Independent oversight and transparent reporting: Hold regular DE&I audits, ideally by independent reviewers, to ensure DE&I policies are effective and that they are taken seriously across all levels of the organisation.
- Robust, retaliation-free reporting channels: Establish and communicate clear, confidential mechanisms for reporting misconduct without fear of retaliation. These channels should be supported by external reviews to enhance employee trust.
- Concrete leadership accountability: Hold leaders personally accountable for the DE&I culture within their teams. This means tying DE&I outcomes to performance evaluations and offering incentives for creating a safer, more inclusive environment.
- Continuous training and development: Beyond basic DE&I workshops, invest in ongoing training that includes cultural literacy, mental health literacy and fostering healthy challenge and dialogue. Leaders should be equipped to build psychologically safe and culturally safe environments, making them advocates for DE&I rather than passive participants.
- Embedding DE&I into organisational strategy: Treat DE&I as a strategic priority, integrating it into organisational risk management and compliance frameworks. When DE&I is tied to core business objectives and risk metrics, it becomes a crucial element of how the organisation operates.
Embracing the opportunity for lasting change
The stakes are too high for DE&I to be relegated to an afterthought. As global pressures challenge the progressive advances we’ve made, Australian organisations – particularly those in the public sector – must show that they are committed to a future where safety and inclusivity are a given, not an exception.
By embedding DE&I into every facet of workplace culture, we can create a safer, more equitable Australia that stands resilient in the face of external threats to our values. Australia’s public sector has the chance to be a leader, showing that we remain steadfast in our commitment to equity and inclusion.
With DE&I embedded into organisational DNA, we can ensure that these shocking reports of harassment and misconduct are relegated to the past.
Feature image: Michelle Lim.