The ARA is encouraging rail employees to register for its online diversity training webinars aimed at fostering an inclusive and high-performing industry.
With the support of Queensland Rail, the ARA has engaged Diversity Australia to deliver the critical training, which will include two-hour Breaking the Bias and a one-hour Inclusive Language webinar sessions during May.
Diversity training is a key recommendation of the ARA’s report, Progressing Gender Equality in the Australasian Rail Industry: Challenges and Supportive Practices, which highlighted addressing biases and better utilising inclusive language as key areas for improvement.
The dynamic webinars will explore how unconscious bias impacts workplace culture, decision-making, and career progression pathways, and equip participants with the tools to recognise and break these biases.
The report found 56 per cent of women in the rail industry have experienced negative gender bias in the past year, compared with 23 per cent of men.
The webinars will enable participants to:
- Learn how unconscious bias shapes behaviours and outcomes;
- Gain practical strategies to create a more diverse, equitable and respectful workplace;
- Strengthen their leadership capability and cultural competence; and
- Align their actions with the future direction of the Australasian rail industry.
Participants of the webinars will also be offered one free access code to one of Diversity Australia’s online learning modules, including:
- Menopause in the Workplace
- Neurodiversity in the Workplace
- Psychological Safety in the Workplace
- Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness for Australian Workplaces
The ARA’s report outlined that the perspective that “there are no barriers” overlooks ways in which unconscious biases (such as stereotyping and affinity bias) can impact who is selected for jobs and promotions. It also diminishes the experiences of people whose lived experiences include everyday sexism, racism, homophobia or ableism at work.
An interviewee said: “Unconscious bias is probably the most common issue – people making assumptions about my ability to take on a role due to family commitments – i.e. that because I am a mother, I would only work part time or need more time off, or not be interested in opportunities – assumptions and comments that my husband, also a parent, never experiences.”
The ARA has been progressing with other key recommendations of its report, including an industry code of conduct. The ARA’s Women in Rail Committee and Organisational Impact Working Group have drafted the Gender Equity Charter, which demonstrates industry’s commitment to improving gender equality across rail organisations. The Charter is currently undergoing consultation and is anticipated to be finalised later in 2025.
For more information, please contact ARA Policy Manager Lauren Ascah.