The Parliament of New South Wales is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce that fully represents the people of New South Wales.
We warmly welcome visitors from all backgrounds, including those who are gender diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and from the LGBTQIA+ community. We partner with ACON Pride to deliver services that foster a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace. Visit the ACON Pride website to find out more.
Inclusion and Diversity Strategy
In January 2026, Parliament launched its
Inclusion & Diversity Strategy that commits to strengthening internal capabilities to ensure every person working in Parliament is treated with dignity and supported to reach their full potential.
Our 5 Pillars of Inclusion and Diversity
Building on best practice, the Inclusion and Diversity Strategy sets out five pillars that will guide our ongoing efforts:
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Empowering our People: building awareness, capability and confidence to drive inclusive behaviours and a respectful workplace culture.
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Employment Lifecycle: attracting, developing and retaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of the NSW community.
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Inclusive Leadership: empowering leaders to foster psychological safety in their teams, champion inclusion and welcome diverse perspectives.
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Accessible and Inclusive Workspaces: ensuring our environment and organisational practises support full participation and accessibility for everyone
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Monitoring and Evaluation: strengthening feedback, data collection and reporting mechanisms to track our inclusion and diversity progress.
This strategy will work in tandem with other parliamentary strategies and action plans to address the unique experiences and needs of specific diversity groups.
LGBTQIA+ Safe Workplaces Strategy
This strategy was released in April 2026 and has been developed by the LGBTQIA+ Taskforce and reflects extensive consultation of the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ Members and staff. This strategy considers the unique challenges facing LGBTQIA+ people working in a Parliamentary setting.
To guide our work, the strategy’s recommendations are grouped into 4 Pillars:
- Capability uplift and visibility
- Active allyship
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Inclusive leadership
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Governance, reporting, and monitoring
LGBTQIA+ Training
Parliament has partnered with
Pride in Diversity to provide regular training sessions on topics such as LGBTQIA+ Awareness, Trans and Gender Diverse Awareness, and more specialised sessions for HR, Recruitment, and Hiring staff members.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Parliament offers free, confidential counselling, coaching and wellbeing services to all Members, employees, and their immediate families.
Converge can help you achieve lifestyle, work, personal, and family goals and assist you with manage work and life experiences, issues, or converns that arise from time to time.
Parliament is proud to have recently partnered with
Yamurrah to provide an employee assistance and cultural supervision service for First Nations staff and issues relating to First Nations peoples.
ACON's Pride Employee Assistance Program offers inclusive and affirming counselling services for all members and staff - offering specialised support for those in the LGBTQIA+ community. Their mission is to support our employees to be themselves and live their healthiest, best lives.
Employee Networks
Parliament is home to a number of Employee Networks (sometimes called Employee Resource Groups or ERGs) that are made up of passionate volunteers dedicated to creating a positive and impactful difference to workplace culture. Each Employee Network is made up of an Executive Sponsor and Network members. They provide the opportunity engage with employees, gain a greater understanding of the needs of our diverse communities, and foster the development of our future leaders.
Our Employee Networks:
Pride@Parliament: an all-inclusive staff network for members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Disability Inclusion Network: a passionate group supporting and celebrating all abilities, and improving accessibility in our Parliament workplaces.
Young Professionals Network: a group fostering the collaboration and professional development across Parliament.
