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‘Diversity is increasingly recognised as a business imperative’
Diversity and inclusion should be “embedded” in organisational strategy, according to the Asian Australian Lawyers Association.
Lauren Croft
In October, the association hosted the annual Judicial Diversity Panel event, which Asian Australian Lawyers Association member, barrister and discussion moderator Dominic Nguyen said was particularly important to “inspire and propel” those from non-Anglo-Saxon backgrounds.
“Northern Territory is a milestone that completes our national milestone. It represents to our members that our unity will only grow from here. We recognise that each branch is unique and that we respect and support the independence of each branch. In growing an organisation, the youngest branch means all the effort that our journey has taken all of us. Each branch has ongoing individual goals in connecting to its own CBD and regional network as they grow year by year,” the pair said of the newly-opened NT branch.
The AALA is currently working on adding management, leadership and cultural skills into its programs in addition to its national mentoring, legal education and networking activities.
“We have a significant number of mainstream Australians in our organisation who are attracted to the range and quality of opportunities for members and at committee level, and we wish to increase this further. We have started to develop the work opportunities and business hub, and we are keeping an active internal communications portal to link members over a range of interests,” Mr Liu and Ms Asthana said.
“We are broadening our approach to work with and recognise those organisations in industries beyond the legal industry. We aim for effective collaboration with stakeholders in government and other industry groups.
“Our philosophy is that by contributing to improvements and improving access for justice for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) persons, is not only getting us a more effective legal system for all but better infrastructure of people and policies that reflects diversity and inclusion within the system is a natural consequence.”
Moving forward, legal practices and law firms should report on cultural diversity in addition to gender equality, and organisations should start addressing inclusion from a social impact rather than a public relations perspective, Mr Liu and Ms Asthana added.
“Organisations need to treat diversity and inclusion beyond the role of human resources. It should be embedded in their strategy and as an agenda item on boards, in all the policies, in the work culture and overall structure of the organisation. In addition, there should be safe and appropriate channels for reporting and for grievance management and restorative practices.
“Diversity should be showcased through contributions and teamwork of people with diverse backgrounds,” they said.
“You cannot fix what you cannot see. Organisations, including law societies and bars, that are serious about creating meaningful change on diversity must collect and leverage data regarding the composition of their workforces and members.”
Whilst people of a multicultural background represent 25 per cent of Australia’s population – this currently is not reflected within the profession, something which the AALA said needs to change.
“The number of Asians in law school is very high, but the numbers drop to some extent at the entry-level of the profession and then keep decreasing incrementally in the higher echelons of the profession to the extent that it drops to a dramatic 2 to 3 per cent at the very top. This was evidenced in our cultural diversity report in 2015, which analyses cultural diversity in the legal profession. We feel the numbers haven’t changed significantly since then,” Mr Liu and Ms Asthana said.
“Beyond a moral imperative, diversity is increasingly recognised as a business imperative. A diverse organisation can see things from different perspectives and be more effective, as well as ultimately empathising with Australia’s incredibly diverse population.”
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
