EQUITY & DIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT – 2006

Section 3.5: Race-Ethnicity

Representation at RBA

The percentage of staff who identified themselves as NESB1 (staff who were born overseas and whose first language is not English) remained at 21 per cent for this reporting period. The NESB1 group are represented in the professional occupational category.  There was an increase in the Associate Professional category to 10.4 per cent and similar to 2005, 2.7 per cent are currently employed in management positions.

Business Writing Training

The RBA again offered training to staff in business writing to assist with career progression. A Technical Business Writing refresher course was offered this year which was aimed at building on last year’s two-day Technical Business Writing skills program.

The Bank acknowledges the varying communication styles used by different cultures. Hence, a variety of business writing courses was offered to reflect the more technical nature and culture of the Bank. One such course was a Grammar Writing Skills Workshop, attended by 6 members of staff who had identified themselves as NESB1.

Harmony Day

For the week commencing 21 March 2006, the RBA supported and promoted Harmony Day. Staff were provided with information about the meaning of the day via the intranet, the staff magazine Currency, and staff newsletters. Harmony Day ribbons were also available for staff to wear and the staff café provided an array of international dishes throughout the week.