Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to eliminating discrimination and we actively promote equality of opportunity for all of our staff and students. We take an intersectional approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion, recognising that no single demographic or social factor can be considered in isolation. The diversity of our intellectual community is a vital component of our dynamic research and teaching environment.

We embrace the University's goal to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive work and study environment that respects the dignity of staff and students and assists all members of our community to achieve their full potential. We also know that a general ethos of inclusivity and equality is not enough. With input from colleagues and students, we design practices and initiatives to actively improve departmental culture, we embed ethical principles into our research and teaching strategies.

We are committed to accountability and track our progress using key indicators. We actively participate in university and anticipate joining the Race Equality Charter when it launches. We also participate in sector-led initiatives and gained the ECU Gender and Equality Mark in 2013 before Athena Swan was extended to the social sciences. We now hold an Athena Swan Silver Award.

The COVID-19 pandemic and renewed global movements for racial justice and decolonisation posed new challenges for our research and teaching. We have taken them as opportunities to collectively examine and improve our community and our practices.

Examples of current and recent initiatives include:

• Department culture review with EDI considerations
• Designation of gender-neutral toilets in the geography building
• Circulation of guidelines for inclusive online teaching
• Development of practices for decolonising the curriculum at the module level
• Support network for first-generation scholars