Our commitment to gender equality has been marked by the release of our inaugural Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP).

The first GEAP sets out our commitment to gender equality as a defined entity under the Gender Equality Act 2020.
Our Acting Chief Executive Officer, Rachelle Quattrocchi, said that this marks an important milestone and represents our promise to lead with our values.

“We are not only meeting our legislative obligations but are taking action against gender inequality in our workplace,” said Ms Quattrocchi.

In recent years, we've taken steps in our journey towards gender equality. Highlights include:

• Affirming a commitment to improving the representation of women as elected representatives in Victorian councils by signing the Victorian Local Government Women’s Charter.
• Challenging employees to start conversations and actively call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping when they see them.
• Supporting annual International Women’s Day activities.
• Celebrating solidarity in gender and sexual diversity by participating in the Midsumma Pride March since 2021.
• Learning from the lived experiences of women with disabilities who have experienced family violence as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence Campaign 2021.

“Although we are proud of these achievements, we recognise that there is still more work to do if we are to realise our vision for gender equality. We have worked hard to ensure that the strategies and actions included in our GEAP not only respond to the seven workplace gender equality indicators, but will allow us to lead and embed change, and facilitate meaningful and sustainable outcomes,” said Ms Quattrocchi.

This ambitious program of work aims to ensure all our employees are equipped with the resources, capabilities, skills and confidence to address gender equality which will, in turn, have positive flow-on effects for our community.

The GEAP aligns with our 2040 Community Vision - a peaceful, inclusive and safe community, where we all have a sense of belonging and respect for one another.