Victoria Police’s LGBTIQ+ employees are valued members of our workforce. They add strength to our diversity and increase trust in our services to the Victorian community.

Since the launch of the 2018–2021 LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, Victoria Police has examined our culture, policing practices, and histories with LGBTIQ+ communities and employees in several ways.

Our 2023–2024 LGBTIQ+ inclusion action plan is informed by the findings from an independent review, our self-examination, data and analysis of trends in our People Matter Survey results, and feedback received in consultation with VP Pride, LGBTIQ+ Liaison Officers, and subject matter experts. This action plan serves to contribute to building a safe and inclusive workplace for all employees.

In 2018, Victoria Police commissioned the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) to undertake a review of our response to workplace harm experienced by LGBTIQ+ employees. VEOHRC’s 2019 publication, Proud, Visible, Safe gave Victoria Police a better understanding of our LGBTI employees’ experiences of workplace harm, including homophobic and transphobic comments, aggressive language, sexual harassment and discrimination. Proud, Visible, Safe identified the drivers of these behaviours to be homophobia, transphobia, and a hypermasculine and heteronormative workplace culture. Proud, Visible, Safe provides the evidence-base to support the strategic direction for LGBTIQ+ inclusion within Victoria Police and this action plan.

This action plan has also been informed by Victoria Police’s engagement in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), conducted in partnership with Pride in Diversity. In 2021 Victoria Police gained silver status for inclusion, demonstrating a clear advancement in LGBTIQ+ workplace inclusion. Areas for improvement identified in the AWEI are incorporated into this action plan.

Victoria Police maintains its commitment to reform and addressing the legacy of harm caused by discrimination, sexual harassment and prejudice towards LGBTIQ+ employees and by extension the LGBTIQ+ community we serve.

Strategic environment 

This action plan commits us to the specific actions we must take to achieve our goal of a diverse workforce and an inclusive organisation as outlined in the Framework.

We work towards our vision consistent with best practice, state government strategies and initiatives and the legislative framework.

This action plan is aligned to Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022–2030 and is underpinned by legislation and regulations.

Gender Equality Act 2020

The Gender Equality Act was passed in February 2020 and commenced in March 2021.

It requires the Victorian Public Sector, including Victoria Police, to report on, plan for and progress gender equality.

Equal Opportunity Act 2010

The Equal Opportunity Act recognises that access to opportunities is not equitably distributed through society and that discrimination can cause social disadvantage.

The Act also includes a positive duty to eliminate discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation.

The Act specifically covers sexual orientation, lawful sexual activity, gender identity, physical features and sex characteristics (LGBTIQ+ attributes).

Sex Discrimination Act 1984

The Sex Discrimination Act, together with state and territory anti-discrimination laws, provides the primary framework for understanding and addressing sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination, and recognises the right to work in an environment free from sexual harassment. It also covers sex characteristics, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

Public Administration Act (2004)

The Public Administration Act places an obligation on public sector employers to establish processes to ensure employment decisions are based on merit, employees are treated fairly and reasonably, equal employment opportunity is provided, human rights are upheld, employees have access to reasonable avenues of redress, and a career in public service is fostered.

Victoria Police Act 2013

The Victoria Police Act is the primary legal instrument regulating the objectives, structure and powers of Victoria Police.

Our work to improve inclusion for all employees will also be advanced by the Equal, Safe & Strong Victoria Police Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2030, and the Equal, Safe & Strong Victoria Police Gender Equality Action Plan 2022–2024 (Equal, Safe & Strong).

Equal, Safe and Strong applies an intersectional lens that acknowledges the many different forms of discrimination causing disadvantage, including discrimination encountered by LGBTIQ+ employees.

We review our approach to providing a safe and inclusive workplace in response to national and Victorian initiatives as they occur.

Our partners

Understanding LGBTIQ+

LGBTIQ+ is a shortened form widely used to collectively describe three distinct attributes: sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.

Although LGBTIQ+ people do not constitute a single demographic, they are frequently grouped together because of their shared experience of prejudice and social exclusion. This can be the result of homophobia or the discriminatory treatment suffered by those who fall outside expected binary sex and gender norms.¹

This version of the rainbow flag is used across the Victorian Government and includes black and brown stripes at the top.

In Victoria, the black, which should be shown on top, signifies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the brown is to show support and respect for people of colour in LGBTIQ+ communities.

Intersectionality

Being LGBTIQ+ is only one aspect of a person’s identity.

LGBTIQ+ people are diverse within their own experiences of gender identity, sex characteristics and sexual orientation, but are also diverse in other ways. This might include their Aboriginality, ethnicity, colour, nationality, refugee or asylum seeker background, migration or visa status, language, faith, ability, age, mental health, socioeconomic status, housing status or geographic location.

People within LGBTIQ+ communities who live with other forms of discrimination can experience compounded inequality.⁸

In 2021, Victoria Police’s primary human resources IT system was enhanced to capture data about each employee’s sex, gender, sexuality, languages, culture, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status and if a person has a disability.

Current Victoria Police diversity figures appear lower than might be expected. As more employees become aware of the ability to self-identify through Victoria Police systems, these numbers are expected to increase. This data provides a valuable benchmark to monitor our progress, and gives Victoria Police a greater understanding of the diversity and needs of our employees.

Where are we at for LGBTIQ+ inclusion?

Victoria Police participates in the Victorian Public Sector Commission's People Matter Survey. The survey provides valuable insight into our culture and safety from employee perspectives.

In 2021, 6,889 Victoria Police employees responded to the People Matter Survey. 424 participants self-identified as LGBTIQ+, their findings included:

^{1 Victoria Police (2018), 2018–2021 LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, Victoria.
2 Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing 2022, Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022–2032, Victoria, Australia.
3 Ibid.
4 Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing 2022, Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022–2032, Victoria, Australia.
5 Adapted from Victoria Police’s 2018–2021 LGBTIQ Strategy and Action Plan.
6 Equal Opportunity Act 2010.
7 Victorian Government Inclusive Language Guide www.vic.gov.au/inclusive-language-guide.
8 Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing 2022, Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ Strategy 2022–2032, Victoria, Australia.
9 Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing 2022, Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ Strategy 2022–2032, Victoria, Australia p.10}

Victoria Police has matured its LGBTIQ+ employee inclusion since 2018.

The 2018–2021 LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan helped lay the foundation for a more diverse and inclusive organisation with progress made through the delivery of key initiatives such as the publication of Proud, Visible, Safe in 2019.

In 2019, then Chief Commissioner of Police Graham Ashton AM delivered a formal apology to LGBTIQ+ communities. The apology acknowledged how policing workplace cultures have caused harm to Victoria Police’s LGBTIQ+ employees and the Victorian LGBTIQ+ community. With the apology came a commitment to create a more inclusive workplace for LGBTIQ+ employees and a better future for LGBTIQ+ Victorians.

In 2019, Victoria Police was recognised in several categories of the Victorian Public Sector Pride Awards including Best Community Initiative and Best Executive Champion was awarded to Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson APM. VP Pride received runner up in the Best Pride Network category.

Victoria Police has been a member of Pride in Diversity since 2015. Pride in Diversity conducted an independent evaluation of our performance against the 2018–2021 strategy and action plan. The evaluation resulted in a commendation for progress made with some notable achievements.

LGBTIQ+ Liaison Officers

LLOs are LGBTIQ+ employees and allies who voluntarily take on LGBTIQ+ portfolio roles.

LLOs assist LGBTIQ+ people who report crimes to police, and they provide a contact for LGBTIQ+ community members to provide advice and feedback to Victoria Police on the policing needs of LGBTIQ+ people.

The number of Victoria Police LLOs grew from approximately 270 in 2018 to approximately 450 in 2022.

This growth is a positive indicator of growing support for LGBTIQ+ people within Victoria Police and a growing understanding of the importance of this support to serving the needs of LGBTIQ+ people in the community.

Pride in Diversity’s review of the 2018–2021 LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan provided critical insights into where Victoria Police needs to improve and where our efforts must be focused to continue building an inclusive workforce.

Despite some substantial achievements made over the past few years, it is evident that Victoria Police can improve LGBTIQ+ inclusion and safety in our workplaces.

The review identified areas of focus to improve our capability.

Governance

The need for a governance or authorising framework to monitor progress and support access and inclusion.

Policy audits

Policies are a key lever in promoting reform. A key action from the 2018–2021 LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan was to remove binary gender terms from policies to eliminate discrimination and gender stereotypes.

Audit recommendations also included expanding the removal of binary genders to all policies and training. This is supported under the requirements of the Gender Equality Act (s.9).

Trans and gender diverse inclusion

A greater focus is needed on trans and gender diverse employee inclusion in policies, procedures and training as is a dedicated focus on workplace support and inclusion for gender diverse employees.

Employee support program

Employee support programs like VP Pride offer significant aid to the organisation and the community Victoria Police serves. However, employee reference groups require dedication and encouragement from the workplaces in which they operate.

At a strategic level, the evaluation pointed to the need for this plan to include a smaller number of actions targeted to achieve specific outcomes and making a greater impact.

LGBTIQ+ on the inclusion continuum

The Diversity and Inclusion Program Logic (Appendix 1) provides a schematic representation of how Victoria Police will work towards a truly diverse workplace and inclusive organisation.

The program logic will provide the strategic framework to map future progress through targeted outcomes and action plans.

The program logic sets out how we will progress along the Inclusion Continuum, a visual model, which was recently updated to identify five stages on a development continuum. Each stage describes the diversity and inclusion consciousness and culture of an organisation regarding diversity and inclusion.¹⁰

The 2018–2021 LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan used the Inclusion Continuum as a measure of progress on our journey to becoming an inclusive organisation.

In 2018, we considered that the organisation was between the compliant (recently renamed ‘reactive’) and proactive phase of the continuum. This is based on the level of maturity in LGBTIQ+ inclusion and capability.¹¹

An updated assessment of Victoria Police’s progress against the Inclusion Continuum following the 2018–2021 action plan evaluation and the organisation’s performance in the AWEI, placed Victoria Police’s LGBTIQ+ inclusion at the proactive level.

^{10 B. Jones and Michael Brazzel 2014, The NTL Handbook of Organization Development and Change: Principles, Practices, and Perspectives.
11 Since 2018 Dr. Angela Workman-Stark has improved the definitions within the Inclusion Continuum to better align to evidence-based diversity and inclusion standards.
The previous Inclusion Continuum (2018) included 6 pillars: exclusive, passive, compliant, proactive, redefining and inclusive. See the 2018–2021 Diversity and Inclusion Framework for expanded definitions.}

The next step in the journey towards our vision for LGBTIQ+ inclusion in Victoria Police starts with three actions for 2023–2024. In addition, Victoria Police has developed eight actions that will benefit all areas of diversity and inclusion.

These actions complement those actions targeted solely at improving the experience of LGBTIQ+ employees.

We define key terms below and acknowledge that people have different definitions. Language has changed and continues to evolve.

Discrimination

The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, sex, or disability.

Discriminatory workplace harm

This umbrella term covers any way a person experiences discrimination, harm or violence based on protected characteristics within the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act.

Gender Equality and Inclusion Outcomes Committee

The Gender Equality and Inclusion Outcomes Committee is the current authorising and governing committee that sits over gender equality in Victoria Police.

The committee is being expanded to include diversity and inclusion.

Heteronormative

Heteronormativity is the assumption that everyone is heterosexual (straight), and that this is the norm.

Heterosexism is the belief that non-heteronormative sexual orientations or gender identities are unnatural.

Homophobia

A term used to describe the irrational fear, hatred or aversion to or discrimination against people who are homosexual or same sex attracted, or who are perceived to be.

Hypermasculine

Is the exaggerated form of stereotypical masculinity. For example, the overvaluing of strength, emotional suppression and stoicism.

Hypermasculine workplace cultures place value on masculine traits over and to the detriment of feminine traits.

Intersectionality

This is an approach to understanding how social meanings related to the way we categorise and identify can overlap and interconnect.

This creates different layers of discrimination or disadvantage for either an individual or group.

Program logic

A program logic model is a schematic representation that describes how a program is intended to work by linking activities with outputs, intermediate outcomes and longer-term outcomes.

Stereotype

A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Transphobia

A term used to describe the irrational fear, hatred, aversion to or discrimination against people who are transgender, or who are perceived to be transgender. This is also sometimes known as transprejudice.

Workplace harm

Workplace harm is the detrimental effects of being targeted by all forms of inappropriate behaviour from work colleagues including sex discrimination, gender-based bullying, sexual harassment and assault, predatory behaviour, victimisation, workplace conflict and bullying.

Problem

An engrained culture and systemic bias has amplified inequality and impeded diversity.

Goal

A diverse workplace and inclusive organisation.