At least 40 rail industry organisations from across Australia and New Zealand have signed on to the Australasian Railway Association’s new Rail Gender Equity Charter, committing to fostering “inclusive, respectful and equitable” workplaces for all.
The initiative was launched at an event in Sydney today, attended by many of the founding signatories of the charter.
Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Chief Executive Officer Caroline Wilkie said the charter, which is built on the ARA’s 2024 Progressing Gender Equality in the Australasian Rail Industry report, is a “significant step” towards further promoting an culture of inclusion and equality in the rail industry.
“The fact that 40 organisations have already signed on at the time of launch demonstrates the industry’s strong commitment to making rail a great place to work for everyone in our industry,” she said.
“I look forward to seeing more organisations sign on as the ARA continues its work to advance gender equity in the rail industry.”
The 2024 report found exclusionary behaviour and gender biases continued to hamper the progress of diversity and inclusion in the rail sector.
It recommended the establishment of a code of conduct for the industry, encouraging respectful behaviours and eliminating harassment and discrimination.
The charter recognises gender equity as a foundation for innovative, productive and safe workplaces, and includes the following commitment statements:
- We commit to fair and unbiased recruitment processes, to enable equal opportunity for candidates of all genders to start their career in rail.
- We commit to offering all employees equitable opportunity for career development and leadership.
- We commit to providing policy which supports and enables our gender equity commitments.
- We commit to “walk the talk” of gender diversity and inclusion, with executive leadership support and engagement in diversity initiatives.
- We commit to fostering a culture of inclusivity in the workplace, backing up our commitment with behaviours which make our employees feel valued and able to present their authentic selves.
The charter will provide recommendations on measures to make and track progress against each of the five commitment statements to support improved inclusion and equity within their organisations.
The ARA’s 2024 Gender Diversity Data Report found 28 per cent of the rail workforce were women, an increase from 24 per cent in 2022. Only 26 per cent of CEOs were women.
The report found 80 per cent of organisations had formal policies to support gender equality in place.
