Tag: Diversity & Inclusion

d&i, Diversity & Inclusion, Uncategorized

Diversity and inclusion baseline for the space, spatial and surveying sectors will be powered by Diversity Council Australia

15 June 2021

Evidence for the space, spatial and surveying industry to diversify their workforce and measure the impact of existing strategies is closer than ever.

A partnership has been brokered which will allow the entire space, spatial and surveying workforce to benefit from Diversity Council Australia’s Inclusion@Work Index.

The index, which aims to map and track the state of inclusion within the Australian workforce, has been developed in consultation with an expert panel of practitioners and academics. Every two years, Australian organisations are invited to participate in the index, enabling them to measure diversity and inclusion in their workforce and compare findings with other participating organisations.

The Inclusion@Work Index covers three broad areas:  

1. Experience of inclusion at work (e.g., team inclusion, inclusive leadership, inclusive/exclusive behaviours, awareness and support of organisational d&i activity)  

2. Diversity demographics (e.g., aboriginal and/or torres strait islander background, age, caring responsibilities, cultural background, disability status, gender identity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation)  

3. Impact of inclusion (e.g., effectiveness, innovation, customer service, discretionary effort, job satisfaction, turnover intention)  

Participation will be sought  from all professionals working in the SSS sectors across  government, academia and business.

The questionnaire will be issued by email invitation to 10,000 individuals through the existing communication channels of the partnering peak associations.

It will launch on 9 August. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. 

How can you get involved?

Are you a senior leader who can act as champion within your organisation? Or do you have a communication’s team who could use a toolkit of resources to drive participation?

Email diversity@agenda2026.com  with the contact details of your organisation’s champion or communications lead and we will be in touch very soon.

Attributable quote

“While we don’t have an exact figure on workforce numbers for the space, spatial and surveying sectors, the steering committee have estimated as many as 25,000 professionals working across Australia and New Zealand.  Our aim is to reach 40% of our professionals and invite them to participate in the 2021 Inclusion@Work Index. “

Amelia Davies,
Chair of the research steering committee,
a sub-group of the, Space, Spatial & Surveying Diversity Leadership Network 

  • Australian and New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC)
  • Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI)
  • The Spatial Industries Business Association (SIBA) and Geospatial Information & Technology Association ANZ (GITA)
  • Consulting Surveyors National (CSN) and, 
  • Earth Observation Australia (EOA)
  • Space, Spatial and Surveying Diversity Leadership Network (SSS-DLN)
  • Survey and Spatial New Zealand (S & SNZ)
  • Women in Spatial

Diversity Council Australia (DCA) is the independent not-for-profit peak body leading diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  For more information on the methodology visit https://www.dca.org.au/inclusion-at-work-index/methodology 

d&i, Diversity & Inclusion

Welcoming a new Conveners Group and Research Working Group members

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to our new Conveners Group for the Space, Surveying and Spatial Diversity Leadership Network (SSS-DLN):

  • Amelia Davies, Director Land Information & Spatial Services, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (Vic)
  • Kellie Dean, Principal Surveyor, Spiire
  • Matt Duckham, A/Dean STEMM Diversity and Inclusion, RMIT University
  • Maurits van der Vlugt, Director, Mercury Project Solutions
  • Roshni Sharma, Project Manager and Analyst, FrontierSI

The new SSS-DLN Convener Group bring to the table an impressive and diverse range of background disciplines and a wealth of experiences and knowledge to help guide the direction and strategic priorities for the network and I’m sure you will join me in thanking them for their commitment to greater diversity and more inclusive workplaces for our sectors.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Eva Rodriguez-Rodriguez, outgoing convener, for her contribution to the SSS-DLN since it was formed in 2018. Eva has put in a lot of personal time and effort to promote the work of the SSS-DLN and should be very proud of the in-roads we have made, particularly her advocacy for greater inclusion of the space sector in this work. We wish Eva all the best for the impending arrival of her second baby and this important next chapter in her life.

I’m also pleased to announce three independent representatives from SSS-DLN who will be joining Michelle Blicavs, Consulting Surveyors National, Jane Albiston, Survey and Spatial New Zealand, Tony Wheeler, Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute, Jacinta Burns, SIBA/GITA and myself (representing ANZLIC) to take forward development of a trans-Tasman survey that measures diversity and inclusion within our sectors and a public report that provides an evidence base for businesses and individuals within the industry to establish their own cases for diversifying their workforce:

  1. Nicholas Brown, Director of National Geodesy at Geoscience Australia (Independent member from SSS-DLN)
  2. Jianhong (Cecilia) Xia, Associate Professor and Discipline Lead of the Spatial Sciences, Curtin University (Independent member from SSS-DLN)
  3. Stuart Phinn, Professor University of Queensland/CRC SmartSAT (Independent member from SSS-DLN).

We look forward to providing you an update on this important work soon.

Finally, a big thank you also to everyone who put in an expression of interest. Creating a more diverse and inclusive sector is a tireless cause that requires many volunteers, advocates and champions and we sincerely hope we can call on you in the future to support this important work.

On behalf of the Convenors Group

Amelia (Chapman) Davies

The above message was shared with the Space, Spatial & Surveying Diversity Leaders Network (SSS-DLN) on the 26 November, 2020.

Uncategorized

Leadership group join forces to tackle diversity in the spatial sector

30 August 2020

A year on from the creation of the Spatial Sector Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, over 30 leaders in the surveying and spatial profession came together in August to hear about the ongoing efforts to make our sectors more diverse, inclusive and dynamic. The Space, Surveying and Spatial Diversity Leadership Network (SSS-DLN) is a volunteer group formed in 2018 with a collective goal to leverage the reach and support of the network to support a more diverse and inclusive industry.

Top of the agenda was an assessment of the impacts and opportunities of the global pandemic and economic downturn on the diversity agenda and extending the scope of the network to include the space industry.

The SSS-DLN has been focused on celebrating success stories which demonstrate practical ways to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace, having recently published a series of case studies from organisations and individuals who are making a positive impact, including DELWP’s Melissa Harris, Executive Director Strategic Land Assessment and Information, who features in the Australian and New Zealand Land Information Council’s (ANZLIC) story about achieving greater gender parity on its board.

“As individuals and organisations we know the importance of increasing diversity and inclusion, however it is often difficult knowing where to start. Reaching out to the community to seek inspiration is a wonderful first step,” says Eva Rodriguez, outgoing Co-Convenor of SSS-DLN and Portfolio and Strategy Manager at FrontierSI.

A strategic partnership has also been formed between the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI), Consulting Surveyors National (CSN), Survey and Spatial New Zealand (SSNZ), the Spatial Industry Business Association (SIBA/GITA) and the Australian and New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC). This partnership will drive the development of a Trans-Tasman survey which will be pivotal in capturing the baseline data for the state of diversity in our sector and to develop strategies for change.

Eva Rodriguez Rodriguez, outgoing co-convener of the network due to the commencement of maternity leave, welcomes those interested in playing a leadership role to step forward and in doing so, opening the way for continued momentum and fresh ideas.

“The opportunity to contribute to creating a more diverse future for the spatial industry has been an honour and a privilege. Engaging with the community at large has made me aware of the challenges faced not just in our sector, but society as a whole. This is evident as we embrace and welcome, as a network, not only spatial and surveying, but also the space sector. The way the SSS-DLN was formed and how it operates, the generosity and willingness of people and organisations to voluntarily put time and effort in creating a more inclusive industry, are all testimonies of the criticality of this issue and how timely this initiative is. We are already starting to see the actions and innovations underway, but there is still a lot more advocacy and action to do. We all need to keep building on the momentum and ensure that we truly reach and hear from the unrepresented voices, to create the diverse and inclusive environment that enables the right growth for the sector and allows us all to thrive. ”

– Eva Rodriguez Rodriguez, Projects and Strategy Manager, FrontierSI & Co-Convenor Spatial and Surveying Diversity Leadership Network

The membership of SSS-DLN would like to encourage all people from across the entire space, spatial and surveying sector to consider expressing their interest in this unique opportunity to become a leader of leaders and championing the inclusion of all differences, including diversity of background – such as gender, cultural background/identity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, education, professional discipline, experience – as well as diversity of thinking approaches.

The Space, Spatial and Surveying Diversity Leadership Network (SSS-DLN) is the industry group supporting the Diversity & Inclusion: Thinking differently about difference action plan.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the SSS-DLN, know of other individuals and/or organisations that we should approach to join, or would just like more information our activities, please contact Diversity@2026agenda.com