Annual report [1997-98] - Family Court of Australia

The Family Court of Australia – annual report 1997-98
Workplace diversity and equal employment opportunity
The Court has implemented the 1995-98 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Plan and
will be maintaining the work done in this area through its inclusion of Equal Employment
Opportunity principles in the Diversity Strategy that was recently completed.
Implementation of the strategy will proceed in the next financial year.
Amajor achievement during the life of this Plan is the Court winning the open category of
the 1997 Equity Awards (sponsored by the Public Service and Merit Protection
Commission and the Institute of Public Administration in Australia) for its success with the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Consultant project. This project has resulted
in a number of significant initiatives, among them the selection of five Aboriginal staff
members and one Torres Strait Islander staff member to provide Court counselling consultancy
services to their local communities in the Northern Territory and Queensland (see
also Year in Review – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues).
Other significant achievements are the completion of the Court’s Disability Action Plan and
implementation of a detailed workplace harassment policy. The Action Plan was completed
by a working group set up to develop a strategy incorporating EEO requirements and the
directions included in the Commonwealth Disability Strategy. The group is part of the EEO
sub-committee to the National Consultative Committee and was joined by staff with disabilities
and/or staff interested in assisting staff with disabilities.
As previously reported, implementation of the 1995-98 EEO Plan has resulted in the
Australian National Audit Office recognising the Court’s employment of women, especially
in senior management, as best practice. EEO statistics for women at the SES level show the
Court is outperforming most other agencies and is ahead of year 2000 targets.
Resources
Throughout 1997-98 the senior executive responsible for EEO was the Chief Finance
Officer (formerly Principal Director Administration) – this position is Senior Executive
(Generalist) Band 1 located in the Office of the Chief Executive in Sydney. The EEO coordinator
was the Assistant Director of Policy Practices and Procedures (Senior Officer
Grade C). There were two managers in the Sydney-based Policy, Practices and Procedures
Unit with the responsibility of being EEO contact officers to assist Court staff.
Harassment contact officers are located in each registry and appointments are made only
after the nominated staff member has attended appropriate training such as a Public Service
Commission program. They report quarterly to the EEO coordinator.
Due to a restructuring, EEO responsibilities will pass to new positions next year.
Consultative mechanisms
The Staff Equity sub-committee to the National Consultative Committee met three times
in 1997-98. The sub-committee has equal management and union representation and considers
national EEO issues. Area offices and registries hold regular consultative meetings
and EEO is a standing agenda item. This year the sub-committee, as well as staff with disabilities,
were involved in the development of the Disability Action Plan.
The Court has two committees to look after the interests of clients from culturally diverse
backgrounds: the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awareness Committee and the Chief
Justice’s Advisory Committee on Ethnic Issues (see also Social Justice, Access and Equity).
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