Reshma Jayesh
13 March 2025: The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has earned its first for improving diversity in talent recruitment.
The Cygnet Award highlights the University’s significant progress in encouraging intersectional gender equity by addressing barriers in selection processes.
SAGE is Australasia’s leading advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion in the education and research sector. Through the world-respected Athena Swan accreditation program, it supports participating institutions’ pathways to equity, diversity and inclusion, creating vibrant workplaces where everyone can thrive.
Welcoming the recognition, the Honourable Bill Shorten, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Vice-Chancellor and President noted that inclusivity is core business to the institution.
“Promoting inclusivity in the workplace is not about being woke. It’s the non-negotiable path to better outcomes for º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, its students, staff and research,” he said.
Celebrating this important milestone in the University’s pathway to inclusive recruitment, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Michelle Lincoln said, “Inclusivity is at the heart of what we do at the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. We actively embrace it in our workplace and reflect it through our values and purpose statement, Galambany.
“This first Cygnet Award reflects our conscious efforts to establish a diverse and inclusive workforce. Our hiring processes have improved significantly, and our focus on creating a welcoming experience for new employees, as part of a cohesive onboarding process, has been well-received.”
SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft congratulated the University, in particular the Capability and Culture team, which led this work.
"This recognition highlights the incredible strides made by the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in fostering a truly inclusive workplace. Their dedication to improving recruitment practices and championing diversity demonstrates meaningful progress that other organisations can learn from,” she said.
“I’d particularly like to highlight º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s efforts to improve onboarding techniques, which create a sense of belonging for diverse candidates.”
Capability and Culture Business Partner Abbey Want led the Cygnet Award application process.
“I’m incredibly proud that the University’s efforts in inclusive recruitment practices are being recognised with this award. We have taken meaningful steps toward a more equitable hiring experience, and will continue to build on this important work,” she said.
Targeted initiatives were run from 2018 to 2020, in order to boost inclusive recruitment at the University, address gender imbalance in hiring, increase Indigenous representation in the workforce, and improve candidate experiences.
Some of these key initiatives included having gender-balanced hiring panels; shifting the talent acquisition function in-house; developing a Deadly Opportunities campaign to attract Indigenous talent; refreshing the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ purpose and values to better reflect inclusivity and diversity; and inclusive recruitment practices such as the introduction of pronouns in the application form, and making reasonable adjustments a standard part of selection processes.
These initiatives yielded significant outcomes, including:
- A remarkable increase in the percentage of women applicants at senior career levels.
- A notable growth in Indigenous representation.
- Positive qualitative feedback from staff surveys, highlighting the success of inclusive recruitment practices.
These measures have been transformative, fostering a greater sense of belonging for diverse candidates.
The University made an ongoing commitment to addressing some of its key barriers to inclusivity in recruitment when it first received the SAGE Athena SWAN Bronze Award in February 2020, and set out an action plan to address this.
The SAGE Cygnet Award is the first of five which will set the University on a pathway to the Silver Award. These awards involve setting progressive goals for gender equity, diversity and inclusion.
Find out more about the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s first SAGE Cygnet Award on .