03.11.2014

Appendix M: ALRC Multicultural Plan report for 2013–14

1. Leadership

Minimum obligations

1.1 Executive accountability—Agency to assign a Senior Executive Officer to be responsible for implementation of Multicultural Access and Equity obligations in the agency.

1.2 Agency commitment—Agency leadership to ensure that staff understand and are committed to Multicultural Access and Equity implementation.

	*Action*	*Responsibility*	*Timeline*	*Target*	*Report*
1.1	Executive accountability
	The ALRC President has committed to this AMP and has appointed the Executive Director to be responsible for its implementation.	Executive Director	1 July 2013	Executive Director has responsibility for the implementation of the ALRC’s AMP.	President approved the ALRC’s AMP and the Executive Director was appointed as chair of the Diversity Working Group.
1.2	Agency commitment
	The ALRC will establish a Diversity Working Group with responsibility for developing, monitoring and implementing the ALRC’s AMP.	Diversity Working Group (DWG)	1 May 2013 established. Quarterly meetings, in August, November and February.	Diversity Working Group established and meeting quarterly.	Given the size of the ALRC and the nature of its activities, it was decided that the DWG should meet biannually rather than quarterly. DWG met in February 2014 and in August 2014.

2. Engagement

Minimum obligations

2.1 Stakeholder engagement—Agency to have an engagement strategy to understand culturally and linguistically diverse communities’ interaction with agency.

2.2 Language and communication—Agency to have a language and communication plan for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, including on the use of languages other than English and incorporating the use of interpreters and translators.

	*Action*	*Responsibility*	*Timeline*	*Target*	*Report*
2.1	Stakeholder engagement
	At the beginning of an inquiry, Commissioners and Legal Officers will develop a consultation strategy for CALD communities, relevant to the subject matter of that inquiry.	Commissioners and Legal Officers	At the beginning of each inquiry.	Each inquiry has a CALD consultation strategy in place, if relevant to CALD communities.	Communicating with CALD communities was considered relevant in the Disability Inquiry. Consultation strategy was developed for this inquiry.
2.2	Invite CALD community members with relevant expertise to participate in Advisory Committees and/or expert panels for ALRC inquiries.	Commissioners	At the beginning of each inquiry.	Each inquiry Advisory Committee and/or expert panel has diverse representation.	As Advisory Committee members are chosen for their individual expertise, relevant to the area of law under review, and not as being representatives of particular groups, it was decided to alter this target and to include this as part of the consultation strategy developed for each inquiry where relevant.
2.3	Where case studies are used in consultation documents and reports to reflect the experiences of stakeholders, the ALRC will include CALD-related case studies.	Legal Officers	Throughout each inquiry.	Diverse case studies are used in consultation documents and reports.	Case studies have been used in the Disability Inquiry and include CALD community perspectives.
2.4	Language and communication
	Develop a language and communication plan to facilitate and encourage ALRC communications with CALD communities.	Diversity Working Group	September 2013	Language and communication plan produced.	Language and communication plan was not completed. To be completed by December 2014.
2.5	Produce community fact sheets that explain the key concepts and recommendations of relevance to the CALD community, where appropriate.	Legal Officers	At the conclusion of each inquiry.	Number of fact sheets produced and available.	Two Easy English papers have been produced. One for the Issues Paper and one for the Discussion Paper in the Disability Inquiry. The purpose was to provide access to diverse communities.
2.6	Ensure stakeholder contributions can be made in a variety of forms, including orally.	Executive Director	Throughout each inquiry.	Number of consultations held and submissions received from CALD community organisations and representatives.	This target to be changed. The ALRC did provide a variety of ways in which CALD communities could make contributions to our inquiries and these are advertised on the ALRC website.
2.7	Ensure media releases are available to CALD community press/networks.	Executive Director	At the publication of Report.	Number of media releases available to CALD community press/networks.	Media release for Copyright Inquiry was sent to ethnic news outlets through AAPMedianet. Media releases for the Disability Inquiry were sent to community organisations to send out through their networks. DWG decided to expand this target to include media releases about consultation papers.

3. Performance

Minimum obligations

3.1 Performance indicators and reporting—Agency to develop a set of KPIs relating to engagement with, or outcomes of services to, culturally and linguistically diverse clients.

3.2 Feedback—Agency to have arrangements to ensure affected culturally and linguistically diverse communities are able to provide feedback on agency Multicultural Access and Equity performance.

	*Action*	*Responsibility*	*Timeline*	*Target*	*Report*
3.1	Performance indicators and reporting
	Annual review of consultation strategy templates. Two-yearly review of consultation strategy templates with CALD stakeholders.	Diversity Working Group Diversity Working Group	First review by 1 July 2014, then annually. First review by 1 July 2014, then July 2016.	Review will be undertaken in July 2014. Consultation strategy updated.	Review will be conducted in August 2014.
3.2	Consultation and engagement with CALD community organisations and representatives. (Note: the ALRC does not determine the subject matter of its inquiries. Some ALRC inquiries will be of more relevance to CALD communities than others).	Commissioners and Legal Officers	Throughout each inquiry.	Number of consultations held and submissions received from CALD community organisations and representatives.	The ALRC consulted with 5 CALD community organisations and representatives and received 2 submissions from CALD community organisations.
3.3	Feedback
	Review feedback mechanisms and search functions on ALRC website relevant to CALD communities.	Online Communications Manager and Diversity Working Group	December 2013	Initial review completed.	The ALRC website provides a feedback mechanism. Due to feedback from the Deaf Society, the ALRC produced two policies about the law reform process and how to make a submission in video for AUSLAN readers.
3.4	Conduct a stakeholder survey to collect feedback on the ALRC’s performance and level of responsiveness to CALD stakeholders.	Executive Director and Diversity Working Group	At the conclusion of each inquiry.	Survey distributed and results compiled at the conclusion of each inquiry.	Not achieved. The DWG will reassess this initiative in 2014–15.
3.5	Provide feedback to CALD communities about the results of consultations and/or inquiries in a number of ways including by using the ALRC’s website, through fact sheets, articles in publications and media as well as through conferences and seminars.	Executive Director, Commissioners and Legal Officers	At the conclusion of each inquiry.	Number of fact sheets, articles and conference presentations.	Achieved See 2.4.

4. Capability

Minimum obligations

4.1 Cultural competency—Agency to have training and development measures to equip staff with cultural competency skills.

4.2 Research and data—Agency to collect ethnicity data on the culturally and linguistically diverse groups with which the agency engages and to which it delivers services directly or indirectly.

	*Action*	*Responsibility*	*Timeline*	*Target*	*Report*
4.1	Cultural competency
	Induction materials are updated with appropriate information about cultural diversity and the ALRC’s AMP.	Executive Director	By December 2013 and then annually.	Induction material is up to date.	Induction material for new employees now includes the ALRC AMP and RAP.
4.2	All new employees will be made aware of AMP as part of the induction process.	Executive Director	Upon engagement of new employees.	New employees have received information about the ALRC’s AMP.	No new employees have been engaged since the ALRC developed its AMP.
4.3	Provide two-yearly cross-cultural training to all employees.	Executive Director	June 2014	All employees have attended cross-cultural training.	Due to budget constraints, cross-cultural training not completed. The aim is to do so in the 2014–15 year.
4.4	Research and data
	Compile a list of all CALD stakeholders engaged with in the course of inquiries.	Executive Director, Project Coordinator and Legal Officers	At the conclusion of each inquiry.	List compiled of all CALD stakeholders engaged with in the course of inquiries.	CALD stakeholders were included in the list of stakeholders consulted with in the Copyright Report.
4.5	In preparing consultation strategies, discussion papers, and reports, consider best practice research and data/statistical resources to better understand demographic and socio-economic characteristics of CALD communities, where relevant.	Legal Officers	Throughout each inquiry.	CALD statistics and resources used to inform and/or referred to in consultation strategies and inquiry documents.	This was achieved in the Disability Inquiry.
4.6	Update consultation strategy templates to include a reference guide to best practice research and statistical/data information on CALD communities.	Executive Director and Diversity Working Group	Annually	Consultation strategy templates updated by June 2013.	Update completed in July 2014. DWG will change this to a biennial update.

5. Responsiveness

Minimum obligations

5.1 Standards—Any whole-of-government standards and guidelines developed by the agency must address Multicultural Access and Equity considerations.

5.2 Policy, program and service delivery—Provision to ensure that policies, programs, community interactions and service delivery (whether in-house or outsourced) are effective for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

5.3 Outsourced services—Where relevant, provision for incorporation of Multicultural Access and Equity requirements into contracts, grant agreements and related guidance material of which the agency has carriage.

	*Action*	*Responsibility*	*Timeline*	*Target*	*Report*
5.1	Standards
	The ALRC will adhere to all whole-of-government diversity standards and guidelines that are developed to ensure access and equity is a consideration in all the ALRC’s whole-of-government services, frameworks, protocols and procurements.	Executive Director	From July 2013 and ongoing.	ALRC has adhered to access and equity guidelines in all its whole-of-government services, frameworks, protocols and procurements.	Achieved.
5.2	Policy, program and service delivery
	Review all ALRC policies to ensure they use culturally appropriate language and promote diversity.	Diversity Working Group	December 2013	All ALRC internal policies use culturally appropriate language and promote diversity.	ALRC policies need to be reviewed to ensure appropriate language used and diversity promoted. New deadline June 2015.
5.3	Develop and publish an ALRC diversity commitment in line with the Australian Public Service Commissioner’s Directions.	Diversity Working Group	July 2013	Commitment is published on ALRC website.	Achieved.
5.4	Develop and implement CALD feedback and evaluation mechanism to collect information on how effective ALRC inquiry processes are in communicating with CALD communities.	Diversity Working Group	December 2013	Evaluation methodology developed and implemented.	Feedback is provided through the ALRC website.
5.5	Notification of new positions and the existence of the ALRC’s Temporary Employment Register in CALD networks.	Executive Director	July 2013, updated when new positions arise.	Increased number of applications from CALD communities to new positions and on the Temporary Employment Register.	No new positions were advertised during the reporting period.
5.6	Outsourced services
	The ALRC will incorporate Multicultural Access and Equity requirements into contracts for any outsourced services it engages.	Executive Director	July 2013	Contracts for outsourced services encourage adherence by contractor to access and equity principles.	The ALRC’s only outsourced supplier contract is with a commercial technology supplier and this target was not possible to negotiate with them.

6. Openness

Minimum obligations

6.1 Publishing—Agency to publish AMP on agency website and performance reports against agency KPIs for culturally and linguistically diverse clients in agency Annual Reports.

6.2 Data—Agency to make culturally and linguistically diverse data available to other agencies and the public.

	*Action*	*Responsibility*	*Timeline*	*Target*	*Report*
6.1	Publishing
	The ALRC’s AMP will be published on the ALRC website.	Online Communications Manager	July 2013	ALRC’s AMP published on the ALRC website.	Achieved.
6.2	A performance report in relation to the AMP will be included in the ALRC Annual Report.	Executive Director and Diversity Working Group	August 2013 and then annually.	AMP performance report included in the ALRC Annual Report.	Achieved.
6.3	ALRC to report to DIAC and Australian Multicultural Council against AMP.	Executive Director	First report July 2015 and then two yearly.	Report provided to DIAC and AMC against AMP.
6.4	Where relevant, summary documents and/or fact sheets addressing CALD issues raised in an inquiry will be published on the ALRC website to ensure the visibility of the issues and perspectives of CALD communities.	Legal Officers	At the conclusion of each inquiry.	Summary documents and fact sheets produced and published.	Two documents have been translated into 20 community languages and provided on the ALRC website.
6.5	Data
	A list of all CALD stakeholders engaged with in the course of each inquiry will be listed in the Report and published on the ALRC website.	Executive Director, Project Coordinator and Online Communications Manager	At the conclusion of each inquiry.	CALD stakeholders are included in stakeholder lists in Reports and on the ALRC website.	CALD stakeholders were included as part of the list of consultations for the Copyright Report.