AFP Strategies to Implement Equity and Diversity Objectives
| Author | Jennifer Bradley |
| Published date | 01 December 1998 |
| Date | 01 December 1998 |
| DOI | 10.1177/146135579800100310 |
| Subject Matter | Applied Paper |
International Journal of Police Science &Management Volume 1 Number 3
AFP strategies to implement equity and
diversity objectives
Jennifer Bradley
Equity and Diversity, AFP Headquarters, PO Box 401, ACT, 2601, Australia
Accepted:
16th April, 1998
Jennifer Bradley is the Manager; Equity
and
Diversity, in the Australian Federal Police.
Before taking up this position in
1996
she
had
a3D-year history in the Australian Public
Service, working mainly on
policy
and
pro-
grammes
for
disadvantaged groups. Her
posi-
tion included responsibility
for
national EEO,
workplace bargaining
and
personnel
policy
issues. Outside work, she has
spent
25 years
as a union activist in equity issues
and
of-
fice holder; five years as
Agency
Member
(the management board)
of
the Merit Protec-
tion
and
Review Agency,
and
two years on
the Women's Consultative Council to the
Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister.
ABSTRACT
Vl/cJmen
in policing can learn from the
ex-
periences
of
women in other occupations both in
the public and private
sectors,
and from the
strategies that have been implemented to over-
come the structural and cultural forms
if
disadvantage and discrimination.
This
paper
looks at some
if
those experiences
and
sets out
the objectives and strategies
if
the Australian
Federal Police's
Equity
and
Diversity Pro-
gramme
1996-2000.
INTRODUCTION
The
Australian
Federal
Police
(AFP) is
the
principal
law
enforcement
agency
for
the
Commonwealth
of
Australia. Its
functions
relate
both
to
community
policing
and
to
investigations
of
offences against
Com-
monwealth
law. It has a
workforce
of
2,667,
comprising
2,027
police
officers
and
640
staff
members
around
Australia
and
overseas.
In
1995 it
commissioned
a
consultant
to
evaluate
its
equal
employ-
ment
opportunities
(EEO)
programme.
This
paper
reports
on
the
results
of
that
evaluation
and
on
the
new
Equity
and
Diversity
Programme.
BACKGROUND: WOMEN IN THE
AUSTRALIAN WORKFORCE
The
issues
facing
women
in
policing
have
a
great
deal
in
common
with
those
of
women
in
other
areas
of
public
and
private
employment.
Common
themes
abound
and
similar strategies
can
be
implemented
to assist
in
overcoming
the
problems.
Women
comprise
about
43
per
cent
of
the
Australian
labour
force,
but
they
are still
very
poorly
represented
in
management
positions
and
over-repre-
sented
in
part-time
and
casual
positions.
They
have
poor
representation
in
State
and
Federal
Parliaments
and,
in
the
private
sector,
the
proportion
of
women
senior
managers
has
declined
from
2.5
per
cent
in
1984 to 1.3
per
cent
in
1992.
Within
the
Australian
Public
Service
(APS),
the
statistics
on
women
are
similarly depressing.
Women
comprise
about
47
per
cent
of
APS
positions,
but
only
15
per
cent
of
senior
executive
positions.
It is
estimated
that
it
will
take
another
25-30
years
for
women
to
reach
parity
with
men.
Within
State
public
services,
only
Victoria
has
more
women
at
those
levels,
with
17
per
cent
of
its
senior
executives
being
female
(Kidd,
1997).
InternationalJournal of Police
Science and Management,
Vol. 1
No.3,
1998,pp.31:>-318.
©Henry
Stewart Publications.
1461-3557
Page 313
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