The Education Department of Western Australia is currently reviewing its strategy on equity and diversity. OUTinPerth recently obtained a draft of the ‘Department of Education and Training Equity and Diversity Management Plan 2007-2010’ which lays out detailed strategies for fostering diversity for people from culturally diverse backgrounds, people with disabilities, women, youth and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Worrying for LGBTIQ staff and students is the conspicuous absence of any mention of people of diverse sexuality and gender.
Clive Kelly, a member of the B-Legits Committee and State School Teacher’s Union of Western Australia (SSTUWA), sat on the draft committee. He told OUTinPerth, ‘Diverse sexualities should be mentioned in the plan… with explicit reference to the definitions of discrimination under EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity] law. Currently, neither LGBTI nor explicit information about types of discrimination is included in the plan. These areas should be explicit so that DET staff and the organisation generally are educated about this important sector of the education workforce. It is only by being explicit that education can occur and the incidences of discrimination against LGBTI people can be reduced.’
GALE (Gay and Lesbian Equality) Convenor Rod Swift also called for inclusion of diverse sexualities in the plan: ‘GALE believes that every government department should be dealing with substantive equality issues as per the WA Government’s Substantive Equality Framework policy.We have had a long-standing view that this is not being carried out effectively by the Education Department in relation to youths with diverse sexualities and gender.The Education Department should immediately rectify this glaring error so that all students are considered in equal opportunity and anti-harassment policies’.
Mr. Kelly, however, explained the difficulties of moving the DET to include diverse sexualities as follows: ‘DET claimed diverse sexualities were covered under the title ‘people from diverse backgrounds”. Mr. Kelly also said DET initially claimed that their plan needed to mirror the plan in place for the public sector.
According to Mr. Kelly, DET has since ‘moved to allow direct input by the SSTUWA B-LeGITS Committee in order to ensure LGBTI people are mentioned explicitly in the plan’. However, Mr. Kelly remains sceptical.’In light of its response to initial suggestions and the continuing lack of mention of LGBTI people in its redraft, it appears to be a hard task to get DET to move.Submissions to the plan close on June 1st, and the committee is working hard to ensure DET keeps to its commitment’.
Yvonne Henderson, Commissioner of the Equal Opportunity Commission, declined to comment on the plan while in draft form.
