As global cutbacks threaten diversity, equity and inclusion momentum, TAFE SA is holding firm. The organisation has made inclusion and equity a priority – not just for its workforce, but also for its student population.

As global cutbacks in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives continue, TAFE SA’s Principal Consultant, Equity and Inclusion, Ali Harris, sees a shift that could work in favour of organisations genuinely committed to inclusion. 

“Those who only engaged in performative DEI will likely stop investing in it – and they’ll fall further behind,” she says. 

For TAFE SA, where inclusion and equity is deeply embedded in culture, leadership and strategy, this is a chance to accelerate progress without competing against surface-level efforts. 

Harris and TAFE SA’s Director of Strategy, Culture and Diversity, Cat Rugari, spoke with HRM about the key ways TAFE SA keeps inclusion and equity firmly on the executive agenda – and why that matters now more than ever.

1. Holding leaders accountable 

Inclusion and Equity (as TAFE SA describes it) isn’t just an HR function – it’s a shared responsibility across all levels of an organisation. TAFE SA integrates inclusion and equity into performance metrics to ensure accountability.

“Our Chief Executive has inclusion and equity-related KPIs, and we’re introducing them for all leaders,” Rugari says. 

“Each senior executive also serves as an executive champion for one of our six key inclusion and equity drivers, including reconciliation, disability access and inclusion, and intercultural inclusion.”

This structure ensures inclusion and equity remains a business priority with measurable outcomes.

Another mechanism is TAFE SA’s Community of Practice, comprising employee networks, action plan working groups and anyone interested in inclusion and equity. 

“We have open, honest, transparent communication, sharing the same progress and impact reporting information that we report to the executive. This holds both the organisation and its leaders accountable for progress,” Rugari says. 

Equipping leaders with the right tools and connections is key. 

“Our leaders don’t feel alone in this work – they feel supported,” says Rugari. “Through the employee networks, they connect with external experts and individuals with lived experience, which makes it easier to apply inclusion and equity principles in everyday decisions.”

“An inclusive design approach ensures we actively listen to those voices that don’t often get heard – and we listen to them right from the start.” – Ali Harris, Principal Consultant, Equity and Inclusion, TAFE SA

2. Making DEI real for leaders

TAFE SA adopts a practical approach to building empathy and understanding among leaders. Harris says this is based on the premise that it is hard to unsee bias and inequality – and once you make it personal, it becomes harder to overlook.

In 2024, to mark International Day of People with Disability, four directors were paired with a staff member or a student living with disability to hear first-hand experiences and identify areas for improvement.

For example, student Sahara Jones, who has autism, was connected with TAFE SA’s Director of ICT. She raised issues such as noisy keyboards, blurry displays and not being able to use her laptop in class. These insights, says Harris, highlighted design challenges the ICT team would never have considered – and helped them prioritise inclusive tech solutions moving forward.

“An inclusive design approach ensures we actively listen to those voices that don’t often get heard – and we listen to them right from the start,” says Harris.

Ensuring that the voices of those with lived experience are heard from the outset – rather than as an afterthought – is a cornerstone of TAFE SA’s inclusion and equity strategy, and a key way of keeping issues of inequality real for its leaders.

“When I speak to leaders and highlight how a decision or information is based on lived experience, no one ever disputes it. Rather, they rightfully believe in it,” says Harris.

The organisation’s employee networks play a key role in bringing voices of lived experience to life, and this often resulted in positive outcomes, she says.

A powerful example of this was the organisation’s participation in the global 16 days of activism campaign against gender-based violence, which came about as the result of a suggestion from a member of the employee network. 

Since TAFE SA was already working with violence prevention service Our Watch on an action plan for preventing violence against women, it was easy to integrate additional learning opportunities.

Rather than running a one-off event, TAFE SA created a multi-format learning experience with webinars, in-person sessions and ongoing discussions led by people with lived experiences. 

Many male participants shared that they hadn’t fully grasped the everyday safety concerns women face until they’d heard directly from those affected. The experience-led discussions provided a new perspective, deepening their understanding and commitment to change. 

3. Demonstrating how DEI leads to better decisions and reduces risk

By linking inclusion and equity to risk mitigation and decision-making quality, TAFE SA ensures it remains a high priority for executives. Positioning inclusion and equity as a strategic advantage has been key to gaining and maintaining leadership support, says Harris.

For example, she cites research shared by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to highlight how having a greater diversity of experiences and viewpoints in the room leads to better decision-making. 

Harris also emphasises how inclusive cultures help reduce organisational risk. 

“Risk is reduced when people feel safe to speak up and are not fearful for their employment,” she says.

She points to historical reluctance within organisations to address issues such as sexual harassment. 

“In the past, many organisations avoided these conversations or hid the problems. Now, with the Positive Duty legislation in place, it’s actually riskier not to address them. The climate has changed – if we don’t create environments where people feel safe to raise concerns, we’re exposing ourselves to far greater risks.”

Whereas she was once sceptical of compliance-led approaches, she says the legislation shift has changed her perspective. 

“We are not doing things because of compliance – we were already committed. But compliance helps make the case. It gives us momentum to build on what we know works,” she says. 

By linking inclusion and equity to tangible outcomes like better decisions and reduced risk, the organisation ensures it stays on the executive agenda. 

“When leaders see the impact in real terms, that’s when real change takes hold.”

Learn more about industry best practices for leading diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces with AHRI’s DEI for HR Leaders short course.