Dr Suzanne Akila, Jo Talbot, and Radi Kovacevic talk about advancing cultural and linguistic diversity within the public service, offering practical advice on how everyone can champion CALD representation and inclusion. 

Australia is truly a multicultural nation, with over 21 percent of the country’s population born overseas. As this demographic has grown, so has the number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) employees within the public service, yet a gap remains in senior leadership roles. According to the APS CALD Employment Strategy and Action Plan, only 11 per cent of CALD staff are in senior executive positions. 

“Other levels in the APS might be more broadly reflective of the community [but] we’re not seeing people from a CALD background actually progressing into some of the senior executive roles at the moment,” Jo Talbot from the Australian Public Service Commission says.  

Understand the value of belonging  

Promoting diversity goes beyond numbers; it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels they belong. 

Jo describes it as, “bringing [together] that rich diverseness of experience and perspectives into our daily work [to achieve] better outcomes. Importantly, [we want to] represent what Australia actually looks like, which is a very diverse multicultural society.” 

“We really want people to be able to feel that they can come into the workplace, and they can bring the diversity that they have and feel safe and respected,” she adds. 

Recognise and overcome bias 

One of the biggest barriers to diversity is unconscious bias.  

“We need to look at how we recruit and ensure those recruitment tools are inclusive. Still, we’re based on merit, but there’s a lot that needs to be done,” Jo says. 

Dr Suzanne Akila from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade points out, “affinity bias – where we tend to favour people who remind us of ourselves – is a big one. In the public service, this often replicates structural power over and over. We end up with the same people in the same roles, making the same decisions, and that’s just not reflective of the world around us.” 

“If we don’t challenge the perception of what leadership is, of who can be a leader, recruitment will only replicate those problems… We have to be brave enough to look beyond traditional moulds,” she adds. 

Build cultural awareness through engagement 

To support cultural awareness, the APS has begun implementing ‘sprints’ across departments. 

Jo explains, “we’re getting to understand the actual representation of CALD people within their workforce… to build their own cultural capability and awareness.” 

Having attended several sprints, Radi Kovacevic from the Department of Home Affairs says, “some of the SES get it and some are coming from a, ‘Well, I didn’t realise this was a problem actually.’ The good, the bad, and the ugly come out, and every SES officer walks away with a different perspective, towards improvement as well.” 

Beyond workshops, Jo stresses the importance of personal involvement. 

“I’d really encourage people to get involved, go and join the CALD network… Have a chat with the CALD champion in your agency or department and see how you might be able to assist. Also, inform yourself… being in the public service and being a member of such a society is to inform ourselves and to get to know people a bit more.” 

Engage in honest self-reflection 

Suzanne emphasises that change isn’t easy, and it often requires introspection. 

“People have to see how they are part of the problem. They need to ask themselves, ‘How am I making this issue persist? How am I supporting this to continue?’ It’s certainly not an easy conversation with senior [leaders],” she says. 

Change also requires not only promoting new perspectives but also prompting honest reflection.  

“It’s supposed to enlighten people, but that’s hard. If they’re not prepared to do it, you just can’t have the conversation, and then nothing changes, nothing gets any better.” 

Build allies 

Fostering inclusion shouldn’t fall solely on those from CALD backgrounds. 

Jo says, “it should not be the CALD network or employees having to do all of the engagement, all of the conversations… It’s about allies, it’s about the CALD champions, it’s about [leaning in] as leaders, [knowing how] we can listen and engage in an open way.” 

Radi adds that networking has been instrumental in his work. 

“My secret sauce has been networking… Bringing people on the journey, reaching across the APS, educating, persevering… Reach out to the networks that are there and reach out to [the CALD network],” he says. 

Jo further underscores the crucial role of leaders in building an inclusive workplace. 

“The first thing we’re really focusing on is around recruitment and progression, ensuring that we’ve got a statement – the Secretaries Board has just endorsed a statement around leadership on cultural diversity. And importantly, that sets the standard of what we expect from APS leaders [in fostering] a sense of belonging and ensuring that there’s cultural respect in the workplace.” 

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Listen to Jim Betts, Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, as he talks about his journey as an APS CALD Champion: https://act.ipaa.org.au/ipaa-podcast/be-a-cald-champion-with-jim-betts/