Cultural Diversity Champions Pilot​

Helping the NSW public sector better reflect the community​

NSW has one of the most culturally diverse populations in the world. Forecasts indicates that by 2031, 33% of NSW will be from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background (ABS Census).​

In Digital NSW, nearly 50% of Government Technology Platforms (GTP) staff identify as CALD, however only 12.7% of the Senior Executive band are CALD. This problem is echoed across the public sector, with the Australian Government announcing ambition targets late last year. ​

NSW Telco Authority (Telco) and GTP in Digital NSW are proud to launch a new employee experience initiative that promotes the skills and unique perspectives of CALD employees and helps deliver actions in the Department of Customer Service Multicultural Plan 2023-2025. The Cultural Diversity Champions is a peer-to-peer support service that has been designed by, and for, CALD employees. The end goal is to see the equitable representation of CALD staff at all levels of the public sector. This is essential for decision-making that serves the needs of our increasingly diverse NSW communities.​

Achievements

In Q1 and Q2 of 2025, the Cultural Diversity Champions initiative is being piloted with 40 participants from GTP and Telco, to test, refine, and evaluate its impact. The initiative has 3 core objectives: to support CALD staff, cultivate CALD leadership, and strengthen cultural capability among the current generation of managers. Together, these efforts aim to replace cultural bias with cultural competence and unlock the full potential of CALD staff.​

Engagement

A CALD user research panel was established in 2024. Languages spoken by the panel included Hindi, Punjabi, Cantonese, Mandarin, Arabic, English, Spanish, Tamil and Turkish. A Department of Customer (DCS) leaders panel was also consulted, including participants from GTP, Telco, NSW Fair Trading, Corporate Services, Revenue NSW and the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. The CALD Employee Resource Group, the Australian Public Service Commission, the DCS Data and Analytics team, DCS People and Culture, and the DCS Diverse Communications and Partnerships team were also consulted in the solution design.​

Department leading the project

Department of Customer Service​