Foreword from VC
The University of Sydney 1999-2004 Strategic Plan setsi out the University's strategic goals and objectives. The Strategic Plan is complemented by other plans and policies, such as this Indigenous Australiansii Employment Strategy, that translate those goals and objectives into practical tools for, among other things, improving the quality of the University experience for all students and staff.
The University of Sydney is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees, and to promoting affirmative action programs designed to address past inequalities. As an equal employment opportunity employer, the University strives to ensure that workplace rules, policies, procedures and practices in each Faculty and on each campus are fair, and do not impact adversely on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The aim of this Indigenous Employment Strategy is to build on the success of the University's equal employment opportunity practices by introducing targeted strategies designed to promote increased representation and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in employment at the University of Sydney.
The Indigenous Employment Strategy will benefit all staff and students of the University by:
- promoting tolerance, mutual respect and equity in the workplace;
- delivering a workplace free from discrimination and harassment;
- encouraging diversity and equity in the workforce at all levels;
- encouraging cross cultural awareness and understanding;
- producing a socially responsible, inclusive and culturally sensitive work environment; and
- promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through the creation of a workforce that is representative of the wider community that the University serves.
The University of Sydney is committed to creating a work environment in which the unique, rich, and diverse cultural backgrounds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are acknowledged and valued, and in which the individual career goals and personal aims of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees are identified, promoted, achieved and celebrated.
I encourage and invite Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees alike to view the University of Sydney's Indigenous Employment Strategy as a measure of that commitment, and to use it as an instrument for promoting the advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within your own work environment.
Professor Gavin Brown
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
i The University of Sydney Strategic Plan 1999-2004, p1
ii Indigenous Australians refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.