- Date:
- 27 Feb 2023
Message from Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson
As the Executive Sponsor of Victoria Police CALD employee networks and the CALD Council (VP CALD Council) it is my pleasure to present the second Victoria Police CALD inclusion action plan.
Victoria Police is proud to have a multicultural workplace, rich with people from different faiths, who speak different languages and have different ethnic backgrounds.
Our employee networks cover people with Sikh, African (VICPOLAEN), Jewish (VPJN), Muslim, and Hellenic faiths and cultures and we recently launched a Women of Colour Network. This diversity in our workforce helps us to respond to the needs of Victoria’s diverse community.
The 2021 Census tells us that Victoria is the most multicultural state in Australia and that 30 percent of Victorians speak a language other than English in their homes. That is why our CALD employees make such a valuable contribution to Victoria Police’s service to the community.
Victoria Police began formally documenting our plans for a more culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) workforce in 2018 with the release of the Victoria Police CALD Inclusion Action Plan 2018–2021.
In our quest to create a workplace that is free from bias, where all employees feel valued and safe, we laid out an ambitious number of actions to achieve by 2021. I am proud that we have made some strides in this area, through actions like establishing the VP CALD Council, a Sikh Employee Network and the recent Women of Colour Network.
Our employee networks bring employees from CALD backgrounds together to build confidence, create a sense of belonging, and celebrate days of cultural significance.
They advocate for policies and strategies that support the health and wellbeing of our employees and they provide our organisation with the knowledge and resources we need to attract more people from CALD communities to work for Victoria Police and strengthen our policing services for all Victorians.
It is vital that we attract more employees of CALD heritage to work for Victoria Police.
As we build a dynamic and safe workplace for employees of all backgrounds, it is up to all of us to support and promote the voices of our CALD employees so that every employee feels safe to speak-up against race-based discrimination and harassing behaviour.
I would like to thank all past and present CALD employees and allies who have contributed to the development of this CALD action plan to make the cultural change we need to create a truly inclusive workplace culture.
Neil Paterson APM
Deputy Commissioner, Victoria Police
Executive Champion
About the Victoria Police CALD Inclusion Action Plan 2023-2024
The Victoria Police CALD Inclusion Action Plan 2023–2024 is part of the Victoria Police Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Framework 2023–2030 (Framework).
Acknowledgement statement
Introduction
Learn about the Victoria Police CALD Inclusion Action Plan 2023-2024.
What are we talking about?
How we define CALD, and where we are at for CALD inclusion as an organisation.
How far we've come
The progress we’ve made towards becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation.
Where can we improve?
Where we need to focus effort to continue building an inclusive environment for CALD employees.
Where we want to be and how we are getting there
How Victoria Police will work towards an inclusive workplace for CALD employees.
The next step
The actions and milestones that aim to create inclusion for CALD employees.
Acronyms and shortened forms
The meanings behind the acronyms and shortened forms in the CALD Inclusion Action Plan.
Glossary
The glossary of terms used in the CALD Inclusion Action Plan.
Appendix 1: Diversity and Inclusion Program Logic
The program logic of activities, outputs and outcomes needed to achieve a diverse workforce and inclusive organisation.
Updated