With nearly one third of people speaking a language other than English at home, NSW has one of the most culturally diverse populations in the world.
While the wider Digital NSW workforce reflects the cultural diversity of our state, with 33.3% of staff identifying as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), this representation drops to 12.7% at the senior executive level.
To help address this gap, NSW Telco Authority and Government Technology Platforms in Digital NSW launched a pilot program, the Cultural Diversity Champions. Developed as part of Digital NSW’s shared responsibilities under the Department of Customer Service Multicultural Plan 2023-2025, the program promotes the skills and unique perspectives of CALD employees, supporting them to thrive in the workplace.
We spoke to pilot participants Abhijit Roy, Shitong Chen and Tertsea Tor-Anyiin, along with Nik Bambrick, Principal Service Designer at Digital NSW, to learn more about the program and how it’s paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive public sector.
What is the Cultural Diversity Champions pilot?
Launched in April 2025, the pilot sees volunteer ‘Champions’ each support one staff member (their ‘Peer’), meeting with them weekly over a 3-month period. The program gives Champions the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, and Peers the ability to gain one-on-one support from a CALD colleague.
Participants follow a structured program, sharing their strengths and goals, and
discussing topics such as cultural identity, cultural bias and the obstacles CALD staff face in the workplace.
‘While our stories and experiences are diverse, people from CALD backgrounds often face similar challenges in the NSW Public Service. The pilot offers a valuable platform to exchange ideas, dismantle self-imposed barriers, and contribute more meaningfully at work.’
Tertsea Tor-Anyiin, Principal Systems Engineer at NSW Telco Authority and Cultural Diversity Champions Peer
A program designed by, and for, CALD staff
When it came to creating a program that best addressed the needs of CALD staff, the Multicultural Plan Working Group followed a human-centred design process.
‘Human-centred design in the public sector is about making sure that government agencies constantly talk to users,’ says Nik. ‘You might think you understand a problem and know how to solve it, but unless you’re collecting evidence from the people you’re designing for, you might be wrong.’
The working group conducted extensive consultation with CALD staff to design the program, interrogating the unique issues CALD staff are experiencing in the workplace.
‘It’s about changing the ways we work to create a space where CALD staff feel comfortable voicing their opinions,’ adds Nik.
Supporting colleagues through shared experiences
With participants meeting weekly, the pilot is creating new opportunities for CALD leaders to support their peers.
Shitong Chen, Strategy Analyst at NSW Telco Authority, joined the pilot as a Champion because she saw it as an opportunity to use her own personal experience to help others. ‘I think it’s very important, especially for new graduates, to acknowledge that what they’re going through is common,’ says Shitong.
Moving to Australia from China 8 years ago, Shitong reflects on how she wishes she had access to a program like the Cultural Diversity Champions when she first joined the public sector. ‘There were so many times I was hoping I could have someone to talk to when I came across challenges and problems,’ says Shitong. ‘I can now use my personal experience to help people who are in the position I was in maybe 6 or 7 years ago.’
Abhijit Roy, Principal Agile Coach at Digital NSW, had similar motivations in joining the pilot as a Champion. ‘It’s a way for me to help my colleagues in any way I can,’ says Abhijit. ‘Sometimes it’s just being a helpful ear to listen to any issues they’re facing or help them with any conversations they’re having.’
For Champions, the support they provide their Peers goes beyond career development and what’s happening at work.
‘They can talk to us about things happening outside work too. Sometimes we leave a part of ourselves at home when we go to work, but if we can bring our whole selves, that helps us work better.’
Abhijit Roy, Principal Agile Coach, Digital NSW
Connecting across cultures
One of the highlights of the program for Shitong has been the opportunity to connect with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds. ‘When I’m interacting with people from different backgrounds, it prompts me to think about my own ways of thinking, and where that comes from. It really helps me reflect on my own experiences,’ says Shitong.
‘My Peer is from a different cultural background to me, and our first catch-up lasted an hour and a half. There were a lot of common experiences that we shared and resonated with, it really made me realise that I’m not going through this on my own,’ adds Shitong.
For Abhijit, the most rewarding aspect has not just been interacting with Peers, but their managers too.
‘Even if I give some of my knowledge and input to a Peer, it doesn’t really help their growth until their manager steps in as well,’ says Abhijit. ‘The pilot gives us a pathway to engage with managers through a cultural perspective. We’ve just done our first culture check, and the Peer’s manager comes to that too, which has been very insightful for me, and it also gives the manager that additional cultural perspective.’
Next steps
The 3-month pilot wrapped up in July, and evaluation and reporting are underway. Pilot participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the program, which may be used to inform a wider roll out of the program across Digital NSW and the Department of Customer Service.