Griffith Genesis - Our equity, diversity and inclusion journey

In 1984, Griffith University accepted an offer from the Australian Federal Government to take part in a nationwide initiative – the Affirmative Action Pilot Programme.

"The Government defines Affirmative Action as a systematic means, determined by the employer in consultation with senior management, employees and unions, of achieving equal employment opportunity (EEO) for women. Affirmative Action is compatible with appointment and promotion on the basis of merit, skills and qualifications" (Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 1985, p.1).

Griffith was one of only three Australian tertiary education institutions that took part in this pilot. The other two were Australian National University (ANU) and South Australian College of Advanced Education (SACAE). Senator Susan Ryan, the then Minister for Education and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister with Women’s Affairs, visited Griffith in 1984 to launch our participation in the project. At the launch, Senator Ryan shared with our staff how the implementation of this initiative might impact the University. During 1984, we appointed an Affirmative Action Officer to facilitate the program. Work had also begun on producing statistics, reports and university-wide analysis on the employment status of women at Griffith. This is the origin of today’s Griffith University Staff Equity, Diversity and Inclusion portfolio.

In the beginning – as equity became a thing

The Federal Government invitation to join this initiative instigated our pioneering equity journey. Before accepting this invite, our university had not been involved in affirmative action or equity initiatives. Considering this background and the fact that our second Vice Chancellor, Professor Roy Webb had only started with Griffith University in January of 1985, our work to improve working conditions for women moved rather quickly. By March of 1985, Sharmila Mercer had begun a three-year appointment as our first Affirmative Action Officer. Sharmila hit the ground running and immediately started reviewing our personnel policies and practices. She also started to analyse (amongst other equity indicators) our staff appointments, types of work for men and women at Griffith, pay scales and employment conditions for women. The university even went so far as to attach the recently developed policy statement on our commitment to affirmative action to every staff member’s pay-packet (Griffith University, 1985).

This initial work paved the way for one of our important early equity reports, Some Staff Statistics: Men and Women at Griffith University, which was released by our Affirmative Action Committee in 1986.

Given this was our first foray into the field of equity, it is perhaps not surprising that the report showed there were obvious disparities between men and women in the workplace. At the time of the 1986 report, women made up over half of the general (or professional) staff workforce, while only one in five of our female employees were positioned as academics. Griffith University at this time had 14 male professors and no females, and one female Associate Professor compared to 13 males at the same level. Perhaps the most glaring disparity was at the Senior Lecturer level, where only two of 44 senior lecturers were women (Griffith University, March 1986).

However, while reports such as this were extremely important in our development of an Affirmative Action Program, there were some serious barriers apart from changing attitudes and implementing previously non-existent policies in relation to gender equality.  

"The existing processes of employee representation did not necessarily facilitate consultation with employees. New approaches to involving employees in affirmative action have been required to combine education, information and consultation" (Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 1985, p. 27).

There was also the constraint of the time taken to consult with staff, present the findings to the Affirmative Action Committee and other relevant committees for discussion and recommendations, and a final sign-off on anything to be implemented after review by our Vice Chancellor. Another constraint on our progress identified at this time by the Federal Government was that unlike ANU and SACAE, we had yet to create our own internal female advocacy group to encourage and facilitate feedback from women at Griffith.

Despite the challenges, and as mentioned above, our university moved rather quickly in the affirmative action space. Practices that were previously unheard of at Griffith University, such as incorporating affirmative action requirements into our employment statistics, were now implemented across our Schools and administrative elements. And further progressive approaches were underway across Griffith, including explicit criteria for the appointment and promotion of women; training for job selection panel members in non-sexist interviewing practices; and considering the socio-economic differences between Australian men and women, which were more pronounced at the time (Griffith University, 1986). All this pioneering work would lead to Griffith developing clear goals and targets on female employment opportunities just 18 short months after agreeing to be involved in the initiative.

Beyond the pilot and towards the ‘90s

Involving ourselves in this innovative initiative began to change the narrative at Griffith University. Our 1986 Annual Report moved away from talking about affirmative action as being specific to our female workforce.

"The University has an obligation to ensure that people have equal opportunity of joining the staff and advancing within the University, regardless of race or ethnic origin, sex, marital status, or any other irrelevant personal characteristics" (Griffith University, 1986, p. 27).

For the first time, our university (also in the 1986 Annual Report) used the word equity when referring to opportunities for female staff and students, First Peoples students, mature-aged students, and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. At Griffith University, affirmative action and equity were now terms that were inextricably linked.

By 1988, we were ready to implement phase II of our Affirmative Action Programme Management Plan. There were some significant initiatives to be implemented in the second phase. Amongst these were increased places at our Griffith owned and run childcare centre, and more flexible working hours for both female and male staff with sole parenting responsibilities. Other work was done on improving career advancement opportunities for women at Griffith and introducing re-entry into the workforce programs. Our Schools also surveyed women at Griffith on career development and introduced guidelines for the use of non-sexist language.

The year 1988 would also see the introduction of our first Equity Plan (Griffith University, 1988). The priority groups identified in our first Equity Plan were:

•  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
•  Young people from lower socio-economic groups, particularly in the Logan City area
• People who left school before Year 12
• Women in higher education generally, but especially in the non-traditional and postgraduate fields
• Physically disabled people 

While our equity and affirmative action policies at this time were beginning to interrelate, the initiatives were still viewed as distinct matters to be addressed separately. Equity (then Participation and Equity) was aligned with teaching and increasing opportunities for the groups outlined above to go to university. Affirmative action at Griffith remained focused on improving working conditions and opportunities for our female staff. Equity initiatives included the development of a pathway program in conjunction with Logan College of TAFE that would see successful participants guaranteed entry to Griffith University. Griffith also developed a comprehensive admission policy for RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning). Our RPL scheme (believed at the time to be an Australian first) would provide students from other universities, colleges and TAFE, who met the required study pre-requisites, automatic entry to study at Griffith. For the first time, places were offered to ‘full fee-paying’ overseas students. While offering places to full fee-paying overseas students was essentially a commercial decision, it nonetheless progressed the idea of opening study opportunities at Griffith to all.  Additionally, revenue raised by this endeavour was used to fund postgraduate scholarships, student counselling, and research work (Griffith University, 1988).

As these initiatives evolved, responsibility for affirmative action practices were handed to individual Griffith administrative and academic groups by 1989. The individual divisions/groups had to develop their own plans and report on the progress to our executive management each year. Financial planning courses for Griffith women, increased chairing on important Griffith committees by our female academics, increased childcare places, and the Re-entry Fellowship for Women program to support female academics returning to the Griffith workplace were amongst some of the initiatives put in place (Griffith University, 1989). With the onus now on individual Griffith business/academic groups to continually improve the working conditions and opportunities for Griffith women, affirmative action as a term had disappeared off our executive agenda and reporting by 1991. Equity at Griffith, which had evolved out of our involvement in the 1984 Affirmative Action Pilot Programme, was still firmly in focus.

From affirmative action to equity – the 1990s

By 1993, we had established an Equity Committee which reported directly to our University Council. Our work in the equity space was recognised and we received a high allocation of federal funding. The funding was used for a variety of projects including specialised workplace training for people at Griffith with disabilities, introduction of courses for the study of people with disabilities (for our students wishing to work with people with disabilities) in our Health and Behavioural Science areas (Griffith University, 1994). There was also a project to get more women involved in technology areas of the workforce. Increased funding for the GUMURRII Student Success Unit and increased equity scholarships for postgraduates were other initiatives. 

By 1994, we appointed our first Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equity).

"The University appointed its first female Pro-Vice-Chancellor and only the second Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equity) in Australia. With the creation of this new position and the doubling of the value of Honours Scholarships for Women, the University reaffirmed its commitment to equity and equal employment opportunity" (Griffith University, 1994, p. 2).

 Professor Margaret Gardner in 1996. Photo: Griffith University

Equity (now a clearly defined division/department at Griffith University), welcomed Professor Margaret Gardner to the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equity). In addition, two newly created positions of Equal Employment Opportunity Manager and an Equal Employment Opportunity Project Officer positions were filled by female applicants. These appointments paved the way for the implementation of a policy for staff and students in preventing and resolving harassment of the Griffith community based on gender, race, sexual preference, impairment, age and religion. Guidelines in the use of non-discriminatory language were also released to complement this policy. Our university also trained 63 harassment contact officers (staff and students) and 24 counsellors to support victims of harassment. Our work in addressing harassment in the workplace at this time was commended by the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission (Griffith University, 1994). Griffith University also entered a commitment to recruit 45 First Peoples staff members to a range of positions across the University. With all this activity going on, we became one of the few Australian universities to establish a recruitment and career development strategy for First Peoples. 

By the mid-1990s, social justice had become a term used in conjunction with, and as part of, equity at Griffith. It was also at this point that the term affirmative action made its way back into our equity reporting. The reason for this was simple and additionally noteworthy. In 1996, the Australian Government’s Affirmative Action Agency named our university the Affirmative Action Employer of the Year for Education. We were recognised in the top ten nationally, across all areas of private and public sectors, for our workplace conditions and opportunities for women. Griffith University also helped form a Code of Practice for use by tertiary institutions across the country to support the planning and delivery of services to students with disabilities. 

By 1997, equity had become one of the flagship areas of our administration. Within our evolving Equity portfolio, access to university for all had become one of many focal points.

"The Early Admissions program reinforces the University's commitment to equity. Rather than accept students based only on their OP rankings, the program matches individuals, their skills, achievements, interests and career aspirations with the courses they want to study" (Griffith University, 1997, p. 4).

Additionally in 1997, we implemented our Anti-Racial Discrimination Policy, becoming one of the few Australian universities with a specific document designed to combat racism. We launched our Inclusive Practices for People with Disabilities Policy Statement as a support mechanism for our staff and students with disabilities. Another equity highlight for us during this year was a project to ensure Griffith students from non-English speaking backgrounds had the same level of access to healthcare as our other students. This made Griffith University one of only four tertiary institutions nationwide to have this type of specific policy. 

Equity at Griffith in the new millennium

In 2000, there were some notable changes to the Equity portfolio at our institution. Firstly, after several years of pioneering equity work, Professor Margaret Gardner left Griffith University.  The other significant change was that the Equity portfolio moved to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business, Equity, Logan) Office, to be added to the existing Pro Vice-Chancellor (Information Services) portfolio. Janice Rickards was now the PVC (Information Services, Equity). The year 2000 also saw the publication of our Equity Strategy for Griffith University 2001-2005. This document built on our previous equity work and focused on a more strategic approach to our staff and student equity.

 PVC Janice Rickards at our Logan campus in 2000. Photo: Griffith University

In 2001, we were recognised by the Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity Women in the Workplace Agency as an employer of choice for women - Griffith was only one of 55 public and private sector organisations Australia-wide to receive this award. 2001 would also see us begin a project that required our  academics to consider the specific needs of students with disabilities when designing courses. A slight, yet significant change in terminology at Griffith accompanied equity in 2002 with the term diversity being used more generally in reporting than the previous social justice phrasing.

"Griffith University’s senior management team, the Executive Group, endorsed a major approach to enhance the University’s equity agenda over the next two years: Enhancing the equity agenda: equity through diversity" (Griffith University, 2002, p. 24). 

With the narrative change and events like the opening of our new multi-Faith Centre (a meeting place to encourage interfaith collaboration and peace) it becomes clear that this subtle change in terminology was intentional.  The Multi-Faith Centre, the first of its kind in Australia, welcomed many faith/belief system representatives including First Peoples, Sikh, Bahai, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist communities. The variety of groups represented at this opening was a further nod to the introduction of diversity into our corporate narrative and administrating.  

Our Equity office was evolving at a quickened pace as the noughties progressed. By 2003, the portfolio had a new head and another name change. Professor Sharon Bell became our new PVC for Equity and Community Partnerships. Many new equity projects were introduced in 2004/2005. Programs promoting university as an option for students from low socio-economic backgrounds, university pre-enrolment training (delivered through our libraries) for blind and vision-impaired students, and a pilot program to promote recruitment (and retention) of First Peoples high school students into our Bachelor of Nursing program, among them. In 2007, we released our Griffith University Equity and Diversity Plan 2007-2010 which outlined new goals and strategies for further increasing our equity and diversity outcomes. In a sign our university was not prepared to rest on its laurels, Griffith commissioned an external review over 2007-2008 to report on the effectiveness of our policies relating to attracting and retaining students from low socio-economic backgrounds. In 2008 alone, over 750 students were awarded credit transfer (RPL) for Griffith courses on the basis of their TAFE results.

First Peoples recipients of the Neville Bonner Equity Scholarship in 2000. All rights reserved. Photo: Griffith University

2010 – The first 25 years of our equity journey

With a new decade, the Equity portfolio, how staff and student equity policy was administered looked vastly different. There was no longer a specific PVC position that included university-wide equity in the position portfolio. Equity, social justice and diversity were terms still used in our reporting and addressed in our administrative practices, but how equity initiatives were carried out, and by whom, had significantly changed over a few short years. Professor Sue Spence was now our Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) (Academic), overseeing the Dean (Student Outcomes and Director, Griffith Institute for Higher Education). It was with this Dean position that student equity now sat, under the umbrella term of student outcomes. The responsibility of equity being directly managed at a senior manager level (Dean), as opposed to a DVC or PVC level, was mirrored in our approach to staff equity.

The year 2010 had a number of milestones in the equity landscape at Griffith, with successes in both staff and student equity. We had one of the highest rates of First Peoples staff in academic positions across all Australian universities. We received another Employer of Choice for Women award, and another award for being a Leading Organisation for the Advancement of Women. On the student equity front, additional support staff (career advice, counselling, learning support) were appointed to support our students from all backgrounds. We introduced a compulsory course (which counted towards a bachelor-level degree), the English Language Enhancement Course, intended to help students from non-English speaking backgrounds succeed at university. This year would see the release of our Griffith University Equity and Diversity Plan 2011-2013.

As the decade continued, we offered yet more scholarships, bursaries and laptops for our students, and provided funding to allow them to attend conferences relevant to their studies. The numbers of commencing First Peoples students continued its yearly increase. In 2012, over 40% all Queensland First Peoples student applicants nominated Griffith as their first preference for university. Additionally, 80 First Peoples students graduated from Griffith in 2012 across a diverse range of disciplines. In 2013, one in three Griffith staff promoted were women. Similarly, one in three women held senior academic positions (associate professor and professor). We had staff from 70 different countries in our academic and administrative workplace. By now, equity was no longer a term in our organisational chart or reporting lines, as specific to a senior manager. Instead, equity, alongside other concepts found in our narrative and reporting, such as affirmative action, diversity and social justice, were to now be driven across all-level managers, across all academic and business units of Griffith University.

In 2015, our long-running, nationally recognised Uni-Reach Program (essentially an initiative with a message and components to say university is available to everyone, no matter your background or circumstances) was being run in 24 high schools and 19 primary schools in South-east Queensland and 19 schools in Northern New South Wales. The program was also run in Queensland and New South Wales with TAFE colleges, Registered Training Organisations, The Smith Family and numerous other agencies and community groups. We received federal funding to develop a central electronic portal for prospective adult learners to access accurate information on pathways to, and preparatory studies for, Griffith University. In 2016, and for the 16^th consecutive year, Griffith was recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, with women comprising 44 per cent of our senior staff (HEW 10 and above) across the university. Only 106 Australia-wide public and private sector organisations received this award in 2016. 

In 2018, Griffith was awarded for its work in addressing the lower (than men) numbers of women involved in STEMM (Science, Technology Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) with a Science in Australia Gender Equity award. We also launched our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan 2018-2019 and continued to expand our work and implement change on the back of our Griffith Pride: Sexual and Gender Diversity Inclusion Strategy (2016-2017).

2020 and equity beyond

Professor Carolyn Evans had started as our Vice Chancellor in February of 2019 and immediately set about expanding our institutional view of equity, diversity, and inclusion. 2020 was the year Covid-19 ravaged the world. Despite the hardships inflicted by the pandemic, not just at Griffith but around the world, our equity journey, while slowed, still continued. In 2020, we were recognised with two national awards for LGBTIQ inclusion and a diversity employer of the year for our work with female staff in the digital arena. In 2021, we released the First Peoples Employment Action Plan 2021, which built on decades of providing employment and career advancement for First Peoples staff. Throughout 2021 we offered extra financial and well-being support for our international students, many of whom were still being affected by the closed borders that resulted during Covid-19. 2021 also saw us review how we supported our students living with a disability to provide better educational outcomes and career opportunities.

In the last few years, our university has further expanded our practices and narratives around equity, inclusion and social justice  When Griffith University talks about equity today, it includes a great many things apart from those mentioned above. It includes sustainability, ethical behaviour, ending poverty, access to healthcare for all, mental health well-being, and climate action. In recent years, perhaps the most significant milestone on Griffith’s equity journey is our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a set of principles that have equity, social justice and inclusion at their core. Alongside being a signatory to the SDGs, we continue our equity work at organisational level. Since 2024, women have comprised over half of our entire workforce at the HEW 10 and above level. And nowadays on our campuses, our students have access to a range of foodstuff, including boxes of vegetables and fruit, all free of charge.  Today, equity has changed markedly from what it looked like in the 1980s – and Griffith University continues to change with it.

References:

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. (1985). Affirmative action for women : a progress report on the pilot program July 1984 to March 1985. Australian Government Publishing Service

Griffith University. (1985). Griffith University Annual Report 1985. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/220 

Griffith University. (1986). Griffith University Annual Report 1986. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/221 

Griffith University. (1986, March). Some Staff Statistics: Men and Women at Griffith University

Griffith University. (1988). Griffith University Annual Report 1988. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/223 

Griffith University. (1989). Griffith University Annual Report 1989. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/224 

Griffith University. (1994). Griffith University Annual Report 1994. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/229

Griffith University. (1997). Griffith University Annual Report 1997. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/232

Griffith University. (2002). Griffith University Annual Report 2002. https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/171960/2002-annual-report.pdf

All images are sourced from the Griffith Archive collection.