About this plan

At GHD, we strive to be an inclusive community where everyone feels they belong. We want to be an organisation that facilitates more productive and connected teams that value each other's differences. The inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people as well as those with diverse sex characteristics, gender identities, gender expressions and sexual orientations (LGBTI+) as employees and clients is an important part of that work.

For us, LGBTI+ inclusion means continuing to support and promote a workplace where people feel comfortable and empowered regardless of their sexual orientation. It also means providing a supportive environment for anyone with a direct or indirect connection to the LGBTI+ community, including family, friends and workplace colleagues.

With this vision in mind, in 2016 we established a National LGBTI+ Reference Group, a group that is now supported by a growing network of more than 200 LGBTI+ allies across Australia and an executive sponsor on our Australian Leadership Team (ALT), Michele Beattie.

In 2018 we participated for the first time in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) a definitive independent national benchmark on LGBTI+ workplace inclusion and we were proud to receive Bronze status.

While we’ve made significant progress in recent years, we want and need to go further, to challenge ourselves and our industry to embrace inclusion. With our people and our culture at the heart of our strategy, we aspire to become an Employer of Choice across all businesses and number one in inclusion and diversity in our industry.

In effect, this Action Plan documents our commitments to achieving our aspirations for the LGBTI+ pillar of inclusion in an Australian context.