Premier's Excellence Awards

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (15:02): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney-General inform the council about the winners of the Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—Team category in the recent Premier's Excellence Awards?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for her question. I would be most pleased to do so. Each year, the Premier's Excellence Awards highlight and pay tribute to the phenomenal work of our Public Service, with categories for 17 individual and 15 teams recognising outstanding work done right across the South Australian public sector.

Last year's awards, with winners announced just last month, saw more than 140 nominations across 30 government agencies. These numbers are a testament to the passion and commitment of our public servants, who deliver critical services for our community every day. One of the team award categories was for inclusion, which was awarded to the Public Service team whose project or initiative most contributed to building a public sector where everyone belongs and their uniqueness is valued.

I am very proud to share that the winner of that inclusion team award was the Attorney-General's Department's Equal Opportunity SA for their We're Equal initiative. The small but mighty Equal Opportunity SA team, comprising project manager, Veronica Maughan, former assistant commissioner, Colin Marsh, and commissioner, Jodeen Carney, created the initiative in 2023. Through We're Equal, Equal Opportunity SA helps public sector organisations and private businesses to create and sustain respectful and inclusive environments, providing customers and workers with a way to identify businesses committed to anti-discrimination.

We're Equal also has a dedicated web portal that utilises content and language with a business focus to enable organisations and businesses to explore anti-discrimination legislation, up-to-date information, resources and training, and helping businesses develop the policies necessary to support their commitment to inclusion in the workplace.

I wish to acknowledge and pay tribute to the significant work of the team led by Ms Maughan in bringing this initiative to life and for the great success that the ever-growing project continues to have, with the significant uptake across both government agencies and the private sector, particularly in the hospitality sector.

I encourage members of this chamber to keep an eye out for the We're Equal sticker at local cafes, or other places that members frequent, in recognition of the important display that signals that the workplace is committed to championing and celebrating diversity and not having any tolerance for discrimination. Again, congratulations to the team on a well-deserved award for this fantastic project.