Disability Action Plan 2024-2026

Commissioner's foreword

I am pleased to introduce the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Disability Action Plan (the Plan) for 2024-2026.

The Plan is an important part of our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which provides the framework for developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace culture. It is my intent that this plan creates a barrier-free environment and a culturally and psychologically safe workplace valuing our workforce with disability.

With our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy we commit to reaching a target of 7% representation of individuals with disabilities, mental health conditions, and neurodiversity within our workforce by 2028.

The Plan provides the foundation for fostering inclusive culture and workplace practices that accommodates disability, neurodivergence, mental health conditions and disability-related caring responsibilities. The actions outlined in the Plan will seek to enhance job satisfaction and engagement among our members.

The attraction and retention of skilled and talented people is critical, and it is our obligation to shape a workforce that represents and reflects the multifaceted community that we serve.

I encourage all members to engage with this plan and participate in developing a more inclusive AFP workforce for our future.

Commissioner Reece Kershaw APM

Message from AFP All Abilities (AAA) Network Champions

We are delighted to present the AFP Disability Action Plan 2024-2026. The Plan will seek to embed accessibility into all aspects of the agency, identifying barriers as well as opportunities for inclusive change to support the agency to be a disability confident agency.

Ensuring the AFP is an inclusive environment for people with disability is key to enhancing our organisational capability. It will strengthen our ability to deliver operational outcomes through diversified skills and lived experience.

It was made clear during stakeholder consultation that while we need to attract more candidates with disability to join the agency, we must also enhance our culture, environment, systems, and services. By improving the workplace experience, we will retain more of our employees with disability. This will create a culturally and psychologically safe workplace where our employees feel comfortable and supported in sharing information about their disability.

The agency is writing its next chapter on our focused journey to support our employees with disability. We look forward to seeing this plan implemented as part of the agency’s commitment to building our disability confidence.

National Manager Stefan Jerga
Assistant Commissioner Alison Wegg

Message from CEO Australian Disability Network

The Australian Disability Network congratulates the AFP on the development of their Disability Action Plan 2024-2026. This plan demonstrates the agency’s longstanding commitment to creating an inclusive culture and workplace practices that support AFP to become a disability confident agency.

Affirming AFP’s commitment to their employees, the development of the plan was guided by extensive consultation with the AAA Network and employees. Built on 3 key pillars, the AFP is to be commended for its commitment to building an inclusive workplace culture, removing barriers to create more accessible workplace environments, and increasing the recruitment of people with disability by positioning the agency as an employer of choice.

As a partner on this journey since 2003, the Australian Disability Network has seen the AFP achieve many goals including participation in our Access and Inclusion Index benchmarking tool, undertaking a Recruitment Review, developing a Workplace Adjustment Policy, Procedure and Passport, partnering to establish a Disability Employee Network, ongoing participation in our PACE mentoring program, Dignified Access Reviews, developing and delivering disability action plans, regular attendance at our annual conferences and building workforce capability through the delivery of a range of disability confidence trainings.

We wish the AFP every success with the implementation of this disability action plan and look forward to continuing to support the agency to create a more equitable and inclusive Australia.

Corene Strauss, CEO,
The Australian Disability Network.

Introduction

The AFP Disability Action Plan 2024-2026 (the Plan) provides a foundation for embedding accessibility into all aspects of the agency. We are committed to creating inclusive culture and workplace practices to maximise job satisfaction and engagement for our employees with disability. It is our intent to position the AFP as an employer of choice for people with disability in the Australian community.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 defines disability as¹:

1. total or partial loss of the person’s bodily or mental functions
2. total or partial loss of a part of the body
3. the presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness
4. the presence in the body of organisms capable of causing disease or illness
5. the malfunction, malformation, or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body
6. a disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction
7. a disorder, illness or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions, or judgment or that results in disturbed behaviour.

It includes disability that:

• presently exists
• previously existed but no longer exists
• may exist in the future
• is imputed to a person (meaning it is thought or implied that the person has disability but does not).

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Operational Protocol offers the following statement²:

‘Persons with disabilities include those who have long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.’

In the interests of inclusion and intersectionality, when the Plan refers to employees with disability, this group/category extends to neurodivergence, mental health conditions and/or disability-related carer’s responsibilities. This aligns with the agency’s All-Abilities Network membership.

The inclusion of neurodivergence in the disability category is consistent with best practice in the field of diversity and inclusion. Diversity Council Australia states:

‘Neurodivergence is often included under the broader umbrella of disability because some neurodivergent folks may require accommodations in the workplace (or education settings), and under the Disability Discrimination Act workplaces have obligations to provide those accommodations, particularly in relation to specific conditions.’

The AFP Disability Action Plan

The AFP Disability Action Plan (the Plan) identifies and breaks down the key barriers and seeks to embed accessibility for employees with disability. It outlines how inclusive change will support the AFP to be a disability confident agency. The Plan is underpinned by the AFP Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2023-2026 which provides a framework to build a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace culture.

The Plan is informed by extensive stakeholder consultation with:

• The AFP All-Abilities (AAA) Network, made up of employees who identify as having disability, neurodivergence, mental health conditions and/ or carer’s responsibilities³. The AAA Network is engaged in creating a platform to educate others, raise awareness, inform policy, and champion inclusive change.
• Employees who were invited to participate in an all-staff survey in February 2023. Their input informed how we can enhance our culture, environment, systems, and services to improve access and inclusion for people with disability.
• The Australian Disability Network (ADN), a national not-for-profit agency that helps organisations engage with people with disability⁴. The AFP Diversity and Inclusion team participated in the ADN Access and Inclusion Plan masterclass series to understand best practice in the disability community.

The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and the Disability Action Plan

Delivering maximum impact to the criminal environment requires us to be as diverse and dynamic as the environment in which we operate.

The AFP Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2023-2026 (the Strategy) sets out our diversity and inclusion priorities, with a focus on embedding sustainable changes to systems and structures where people interact across the employee life cycle.

Our DAP is aligned to the outcomes under our Strategy’s RESULTS model: Recruit, Educate, Support, Uplift, Lead, Track and Sustain.

This DAP was created during the first foundational stage of our Strategy, and is being implemented as we shift from foundational to an enhancement phase across 2024-2025.

We are committed to applying an intersectional lens to work under our Strategy. We recognise our people are unique and multifaceted and bring different overlapping layers of their identity to work each day. Experiences of inequality due to disability can be compounded by the different experiences we each have, such as our race, religion, age, gender, class, sexual orientation and languages spoken.

In line with our intersectional approach, action items in the DAP that can bring benefits across multiple diversity focus areas have been prioritised for delivery.

The Results approach - Disability Action Plan

DAP actions: where we are heading

Embedding intersectionality

The AFP Disability Action Plan is the primary document that outlines our roadmap for embedding accessibility for employees with disability within our workplace. However, in alignment with best practice, we are committed to embedding an intersectional lens into our future initiatives to ensure that our approach is holistic and multidimensional. Our people are unique and multifaceted, and so our actions need to be widely-encompassing and all-inclusive in order to deliver the maximum positive impact on our diverse workforce, in all aspects of their lives.

Many initiatives outlined within the AFP Disability Action Plan are directly relevant and applicable to enhancing the experiences of other diversity cohorts.  Such actions are identified with a unique symbol in recognition of their intersectional impact and relevance across multiple channels of influence. In doing so, we acknowledge the broad interlinkages and overlaps in the pursuit of equity and equality for all forms of diversity. In doing so, we acknowledge the broad interlinkages and overlaps in the pursuit of equity and equality for all forms of diversity.

Further details of these actions, and our approach to intersectionality, can be found within the AFP Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2023-2026: Phase 2 Implementation.

Outcome 1: Recruit

Recruit diverse talent to represent communities we serve, aiming for 7% disability and neurodiverse representation.

D&I Strategy	Action	Indicator of success
R1	Deliver a recruitment strategy to reach 7% disability and neurodiverse representation: Increase involvement in the disability community including developing partnerships and engaging with disability recruitment companies Implement disability-confidence training for recruitment and hiring managers on how to recruit, manage and support people with disability	Increased number of candidates with disability to meet recruitment targets Accessibility is embedded into all areas of recruitment and overt in advertising Greater awareness of the AFP as an employer of choice for people with disability through increase of DXC Dandelion applications Increased attendance at events, enquiries, and applications by candidates with disability Increased disability-confidence for recruitment and managers
R2	Establish Diversity Pipeline working group to: Promote the utilisation of affirmative measures recruitment Promote available support, framework and mechanisms on the AFP website and as part of recruitment processes Implement recruitment programs to recruit people with disability and neurodivergent candidates Review recruitment gateways to be more accessible Develop and implement guiding principles for diversity considerations to enable panel members to evaluate diversity considerations in recruitment and promotion opportunities	Increased number of candidates with disability to meet recruitment targets Increase in the percentage of AFP recruitment advertising that overtly acknowledges people with disability
R3	Develop language standardised inclusive prompts for job advertisements to position AFP as an employer of choice for disability and neurodiversity	Increased number of people with disability employed Increased number of applications from candidates with disability

Outcome 2: Educate

Educate our workforce to build disability confidence.

D&I Strategy	Action	Indicator of success
E1	Develop cultural learning continuum to enhance enterprise capability and increase inclusion. Including: Disability ally materials First Level leader training to enhance understanding and implementation of diversity and inclusion principles Lived experience library to highlight employees with disability to share their stories Reasonable adjustments skill building and awareness campaign Disability inclusion training package for all employees Enhancement of resources included in the AAA Culture Cupboard Develop supervisor toolkit for managing employees with disability: encouraging participation in career development programs, on the job training, and formal training	Increased number of employees who share their disability information in their SAP Insight! profile Staff survey results reflect increased confidence in support and inclusion of people with disability AAA Network survey reflects higher levels of support and inclusion for members Increased number of employees who have completed training package year on year Increased uptake of reasonable adjustments
E2	Develop communication campaigns for disability awareness, including promotion of AAA Network	Staff survey results reflect increased confidence in support and inclusion for employees with disability Increased number of employees (new and existing) joining the AAA Network Increased engagement with Pulse articles relating to disability awareness

Outcome 3: Support

Support people with disability to be their true self and thrive in their AFP experience.

D&I Strategy	Action	Indicator of success
S1	Identify career barriers for diverse groups: Develop career and leadership pathways to enhance career progression Improve access to mentor and coaching programs relating to diversity groups	Increased understanding of barriers to career progression Improved pathways for progression
S2	Establish dedicated disability support officer roles to internally uplift the experience of employees with disability (including neurodivergence) and guide managers and supervisors	Staff survey results reflect increased confidence in support and inclusion for employees with disability and neurodivergence Disability specialist position/s created
S3	Audit of assistive technology and equipment to support employees with disability and neurodivergent employees	Staff survey results reflect increased confidence in support and inclusion for employees with disability

Outcome 4: Uplift

Uplift toward leading disability employment practice across law enforcement.

D&I Strategy	Action	Indicator of success
U1	Implement feasible recommendations from the ADN Dignified Access Review to AFP national headquarters	Improved scores on the ADN Access and Inclusion Index
U2	Create job design checklists to: provide advice and support for: part time work, reasonable adjustments, flexible work provide materials for how to have these conversations in the workplace develop and implement standardised inclusive language prompts for job advertisements to position AFP as an employer of choice for disability and neurodiversity	Staff survey results reflect increased confidence in support and inclusion for employees with disability Identified barriers to employment in recruitment processes are removed or mitigated Continued participation in targeted programs such as DXC Dandelion and subsequent employment with AFP Increased commitment and involvement in other disability and/or nuerodivergent employment programs
U3	Review and enhance accessibility of the intranet as part of the Hub redevelopment project and external internet accessibility	Intranet compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Australian Government Accessibility Guidelines
U4	Review inherent requirements to accommodate disability, neurodivergence and reasonable adjustment in sworn roles	Staff survey results reflect increased confidence in support and inclusion for employees with disability Increased number of employees (new and existing) joining the AAA Network Increased engagement with Pulse articles relating to disability awareness

Outcome 5: Lead

Leaders are confident and accountable in creating a workplace culture that is safe and inclusive for people with disability.

D&I Strategy	Action	Indicator of success
L1	Update command/branch action plans to include accountability for delivery of diversity and inclusion outcomes	Increased engagement in diversity and inclusion activities across AFP commands/branches in ACT and regions Staff survey results reflect increased confidence in support and inclusion for employees with disability Increased number of employees (new and existing) joining the AAA Network Increased workforce understanding and utilisation of reasonable adjustments
L2	AAA Champion/s to engage in relevant community of practice forums to represent the AFP as an employer of choice, and stay updated on best practice	Increased participation in ADN Leader to Leader conversations, member round tables and attendance at annual conference Increased representation at leadership forums both internal and external
L3	Establish internal disability mentoring program which utilises PACE mentor capability	Program established
L4	Regular SES enrolment in PACE Mentoring Program	Continued support for PACE and to include one SES leader in each PACE Program
L5	Include diversity and inclusion indicators in SES performance framework	Inclusion of diversity and inclusion indicators in SES performance framework

Outcome 6: Track and sustain

Track our disability and neurodiversity insights to SUSTAIN and grow our ‘all abilities’ agenda.

D&I Strategy	Action	Indicator of success
T1	External benchmarking to inform how the AFP can progress towards best practice: Participation in the annual ADN Access and Inclusion Index	Improved benchmarking results following initial participation Increased workforce participation in the ADN survey
T2	As part of outgoing exit survey, introduce diversity and inclusion informed processes for all employees, to identify if there are similarities in the reasons members are resigning, including any diversity and inclusion factors	Any diversity-related patterns in resignation are identified and communicated to the responsible SES and monitored through Command Assessment Reviews
T3	Expand dignified access audit outside of national headquarters by one location by 2026	Improved scores on the ADN Access and Inclusion Index
S1	Deliver days of recognition events to promote and recognise the value of diversity and inclusion	Increased participation in AAA days of recognition events
S2	Continued participation in AAA communities of practice (CoP)	Increased attendance and reporting on CoPs
S3	Embed diversity and inclusion elements in SES forums, planning days and similar	Increased SES engagement in diversity and inclusion opportunities e.g. training, days of recognition Greater understanding and ‘tone from top’ of diversity issues Increased staff sentiment of SES reported in staff survey results
S4	Expand people dashboard reporting to Enterprise Operations Board to include enhanced diversity and inclusion data and monitoring	Increased Board visibility of enhanced diversity and inclusion data to inform decision making
S5	Continuous communications for SAP Self-identification awareness/process transparency	Increased number of employees who share their disability information in their SAP Insight! profile

Monitoring and evaluation – how we will measure and report

Success will be measured against the achievements of the objectives set out in the action tables. Success measures are identified to ensure we are creating an inclusive culture and workplace practices. We will draw on tools such as the Access and Inclusion Index, staff surveys and annual report. Accountability will be tracked through quarterly reporting of Diversity and Inclusion Strategy implementation outcomes.

How we will stay on track

Legislation

Disability Discrimination Act 1992

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) makes discrimination against people on the grounds of disability unlawful in specific areas of public life⁵. The DDA prohibits discrimination against any person, or their associates, on the grounds of actual or assumed disability.

Work, Health and Safety Act

The Work, Health and Safety Act 2011 provides a framework to protect the health, safety and welfare of all workers at work and of all other people who might be affected by the work⁶.

Fair Work Act

The ‘adverse action’ provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 states an employer cannot discriminate against an employee on the grounds of the employee’s disability⁷.

Governance

The Plan will be monitored and supported by the Diversity and Inclusion team in People Strategies and the AAA Network Committee. Progress against the deliverables outlined in this action plan will be reported to the Strategy and Performance Board and made available to all employees and senior leaders.

The Plan will be lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Diversity and Inclusion contact information

Diversity-Inclusion@afp.gov.au

Acknowledgements

The Australian Disability Network

Australian Public Service Disability Employment Strategy 2020–2025

Endnotes

¹ Disability Discrimination Act 1992, see part 4 Interpretation. This Act provides further information relating to disability discrimination, legislative requirements and workplace obligations.

² United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Article 2. The article explains the meaning of key terms of the Convention.

³ AAA Network Hub Page [Internal], this is the AFP network for people with disability, injury or illness and provides a safe space for people identifying with disability to seek connection, advice or additional information on the AFP’s actions towards creating an inclusive workplace.

⁴ AND is a not-for-profit organisation assisting with employing persons with disability.

⁵ Disability Discrimination Act 1992, see above.

⁶ Work Health and Safety Act 2011 provides a nationally consistent framework to ensure that employee work health and safety is considered to protect workers.

⁷ The Fair Work Act 2009 outlines employers’ obligation, rights and responsibilities towards employees in Australia.