• Charles Sturt to deliver unconscious bias and inclusivity training to Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General
• Invitation follows the University’s previous success delivering this training to government organisations, including NSW Health and Wagga Wagga City Council
• Training is a key item in the University’s Workplace Gender Equity Strategy 2018-2022 and the Athena SWAN Action Plan

Charles Sturt University has been invited by the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General to provide unconscious bias and inclusivity training to all of the Office’s staff, including its senior leaders.

The invitation is driven by the Office’s desire to support its staff and follows the University’s previous success delivering this training to government organisations, including NSW Health and Wagga Wagga City Council.

The training is part of the University’s Workplace Gender Equity Strategy 2018-2022 and the Athena SWAN Bronze Institutional Project, and is being delivered externally to spread the important message of inclusivity to organisational and community leaders.

The Official Secretary to the Governor-General, Mr Paul Singer, said he and his team are looking forward to the opportunity to learn from industry leaders.

“It is the nature of our work that we deal with – and indeed celebrate – diversity on a daily basis,” Mr Singer said.

“We consciously embrace diversity, prioritise continuous learning among our team and are looking forward to working with the Charles Sturt University team.”

Charles Sturt project manager in Equity and Diversity Mr Nicholas Steepe said the University is delighted to have another opportunity to deliver this training to an external organisation.

“As a values-based organisation driven by our ethos of creating a world worth living in, we are committed to delivering this training to not only our own staff, but also to our external stakeholders,” Mr Steepe said.

“We’ve had great success delivering this training both internally and externally, with more than 330 individuals from Charles Sturt University and almost 50 members of external organisations undertaking the training since its inception.

“We look forward to working with the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General to deliver this training and trust it will also have a positive impact on their organisation and staff.”

Some of the topics the three-and-a-half-hour training session will cover include understanding privilege and unconscious bias, equity versus equality, and strategies to improve inclusiveness as an individual, a team or organisation, and a society.

The training has been designed to offer a safe environment for individuals to reflect on the topics presented and engage in group discussions about the nuances that exist within these areas.

Charles Sturt is a Workplace Gender Equality Agency Employer of Choice and was awarded the Athena SWAN Bronze Institute Award in December 2018.  

Members of Charles Sturt’s Equity and Diversity Unit will deliver two three-hour training sessions to staff of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General during the last week of February.