Inclusion & Diversity
Maintaining our commitment to a safe and inclusive space for all.
On 12 July 2020, ACT Writers issued an open letter pledging our commitment to operating as a safe and inclusive space for all, and an organisation that values diversity and accessibility. We are proud to advocate for broad and rich representation in the arts, and embrace our role and professional duty to do this alongside all arts organisations. It is our responsibility to create safe, respectful and inclusive spaces for our members, writers, presenters/facilitators, and our community generally.
For the past year we have been working consultatively to implement policies and targets to ensure that ACT Writers excludes no one. ACT Writers strive to recognise, reflect and support the wonderful diversity of our region and the broader writing sector.
We would like to thank all those, including writers of colour and allies, who have sought to highlight these issues and demand the highest standards from us. The steps we have taken so far include:
- implementing an equality and diversity policy;
- creating a code of conduct for all staff, board, presenters/facilitators, and members of ACT Writers; and
- setting diversity targets.
We acknowledged that we will always have work to do to ensure we are continually operating as a safe and inclusive organisation. The next steps we are taking include:
- implementing a cultural equity and inclusion policy;
- establishing a paid advisory board;
- finalising a disability inclusion and access plan; and
- conducting annual reviews on all policies.
Our policies have been developed from templates and resources from the Creative Equity Toolkit, an initiative of the Diversity Arts Australia and The British Council. These policies effectively chart the way we conduct all elements of our organisational work, and they positively influence the suite of experts our program engages each year, and the audiences we reach and serve. They are the backbone of the fascinating, varied and often ground-breaking professional and creative resources and content ACTW aims to provide.
We are open to criticism and feedback and welcome any comments. If you would like to let us know how we can do better in any area, please email director@actwriters.org or call us on (02) 6974 2289.
