Geoscience Australia receives inclusivity award from SAGE

Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) has presented Geoscience Australia with the Cygnet Award. The honour recognises Geoscience Australia’s efforts to build an inclusive work environment.

Geoscience Australia chief executive officer (CEO) Dr James Johnson commented on his company’s achievement: “This award demonstrates the impact of our efforts to improve our culture, provide a safe and respectful workplace and build a workforce that is representative of the Australian community that we serve.

“By further removing the barriers that prevent people from wholly contributing to their workplace and to their community, we can draw from the full pool of human talent to solve Australia’s most pressing challenges,” said Dr Johnson.

Some of Geoscience Australia’s policies that went towards achieving this accolade are:

• Diversity in leadership
• Reconciliation Action Plan
• Inclusion relating to LGBTQ+
• Partnering with the Australian Network on Disability and Pride in Diversity
• Becoming a “Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace”

Dr Johnson continued: “Geoscience Australia aspires to be a leader in championing gender equity, diversity and inclusion in the public sector. I am very proud of my team for making our organisation a place where employees from all backgrounds can feel like they belong.

“We are particularly proud to be the first public sector organisation to be recognised with a SAGE Cygnet Award. We look forward to continuing to drive change by working towards our four remaining Cygnet Awards and achieving an Athena Swan Silver Award by 2025,” he said.

Geoscience Australia’s female leadership doubled between 2019 and 2022, going from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. STEM roles also saw female participation increase from 31 per cent to 37.8 per cent over the same period.

SAGE CEO Dr Wafa El-Adhami discussed the recognition: “We’re delighted to present Geoscience Australia with their well-deserved Cygnet Award. Fostering an inclusive workplace culture is vital for organisational success, as cultivating a culture of belonging increases employee engagement, productivity and retention.”

This award is the second presented to Geoscience Australia by SAGE. In 2020 they received the Athena Swan Bronze Award.

Libby Lyons, SAGE chair, said of the recent award: “By sharing the actions they took to create an inclusive, welcoming environment, Geoscience Australia is paving the way forward for others to do the same. We look forward to making their Cygnet Award application available for all to read on the SAGE website and hope that other organisations will make the most of this opportunity to learn from Geoscience Australia’s work.”

CEO designate at SAGE, Dr Janin Bredehoeft, expressed her congratulations: “I am delighted to extend my congratulations to Geoscience Australia. What this shows is that long-term investment and committed leadership – from SAGE subscribers and the federal government – are crucial elements for driving transformational change in gender equity, diversity and inclusion.”