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Accessibility Action Plan 2024-26

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Acknowledgement of Country

ASIC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters on which we live and work. We pay respect to Elders past and present as the custodians of the world's oldest continuing cultures.

Foreword and vision

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) supports an inclusive culture where our people can reach their full potential and have equal access to development, promotion, services and opportunities. A diverse and inclusive workforce better reflects the communities we serve. It improves the way we make decisions, innovate and solve problems, and recognises the values of all our team members.

ASIC’s accessibility vision

Provide an accessible and inclusive workplace where our people can strive to achieve their aspirations and goals.

Provide accessible services that all Australians can access without exclusion.

ASIC’s accessibility journey started in 2016 with our first Accessibility Action Plan (AAP) and was further developed in our second plan (2019–22).

This plan continues to build on our previous efforts and embodies our commitment to embed an inclusive culture in our workplace so our people, our stakeholders and the community can participate without barriers.

ASIC’s Code of Conduct is the foundation of our inclusive and diverse workplace where all people are treated with fairness, dignity and respect. It is supported by a range of diversity and inclusion initiatives and ASIC’s Values – Accountability, Professionalism, and Teamwork.

This plan was developed by the Accessibility Committee (AC) in consultation with Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, the Disability Employee Network (DEN), and other key internal stakeholders, including our sponsoring Commissioner, Kate O’Rourke. 

A message from our Sponsoring Commissioner

This plan represents our ongoing commitment to accessibility and to inclusion, both in our workforce and in the wider community that we serve.

Over 4 million Australians identify as having a disability. ASIC’s vision is for a fair, strong, and efficient financial system for all Australians, and exclusion and limitations have no place in that vision.

Our commitment to accessibility, and to the goals set in our latest Action Plan, enables us to meet the needs of all Australians, including those with disability. The benefits of accessibility are not limited to those of different abilities. Promoting plain language writing in our regulatory guides, providing accessible workspaces, and making digital resources reader-friendly are just a few of our accessibility commitments that are universally applicable and constructive. Building accessibility measures like these into our standard practices will enable ASIC to be a modern, confident, and ambitious regulator that attracts all talent.

ASIC’s Accessibility Committee is a group of dedicated individuals who are passionate about ensuring that all our people are empowered to contribute equally, regardless of differences and abilities. I am proud of the work that the Committee has accomplished to date, and I am excited to partner with them over the next three years to deliver on the commitments we’ve set for ourselves.

Headshot of Kate O'Rourke, Sponsoring Commissioner

Kate O’Rourke
Sponsoring Commissioner, Accessibility

A message from our Chief Executive Officer

ASIC’s 2024-2026 Accessibility Action Plan provides a roadmap for the next three years to continue improving accessibility at ASIC for both our people and our stakeholders. Our three priority areas of leadership engagement, organisation and culture, and accessibility of workplaces and services give us clear pathways to achieve this.

ASIC’s values of Accountability, Professionalism and Teamwork guide our work to maintain and improve accessibility at ASIC. I know first-hand the enormous benefit that having diverse voices brings to a workplace, and it’s important that our workforce reflects the diverse Australian community we serve.

Our Accessibility Action Plan aims to create an environment where all our people can be their best and reach their potential, without barriers. Diversity drives better outcomes for everyone, and accessibility is central to making this possible.

I congratulate our Accessibility Committee and the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging team for their work in developing ASIC’s 2024-2026 Accessibility Action Plan.

I look forward to the progress ASIC will make over the next three years to support our role as a public sector leader in accessibility.

Headshot of Greg Yanko, CEO

Greg Yanco
Chief Executive Officer

 

Priority areas

We have focused on three priority areas to inform our approach:

Leadership engagement

Our leaders should be collaborative, engaging and committed to change. They should help facilitate an inclusive, trusting and equal opportunity environment for everyone.

Organisation and culture

A high level of disability awareness will lead to a more inclusive and welcoming workplace for people with disability and their carers. By promoting disability awareness, we continue to position ASIC as an employer of choice.

Accessibility of our workplace and services

An accessible workplace helps everyone to perform to their full potential. It gives ASIC access to a wider talent pool so we can continue to attract, recruit and retain the best people. Accessible services ensure inclusivity for all Australians.

What is a disability?

ASIC takes a broad, inclusive approach to defining ‘disability’ as any form of visual, hearing, physical, mental or other impairment. Disability includes physical, mental health, intellectual, neurological or sensory differences which, in interaction with various attitudinal and environmental barriers, may hinder full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

ASIC recognises that a disability may be temporary or permanent, visible or invisible. Some conditions and impairments are present from birth. Other people acquire or develop disability during their lifetime from an accident, condition, illness or injury. For some people, support requirements can increase over time. Others can experience fluctuating or episodic disability. Some people may have multiple disabilities, giving rise to different support requirements. Disability can include an impairment, illness or disorder that presently exists, previously existed or may exist in the future (because of a genetic predisposition).

The definition of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 is broad. It includes physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological and learning disabilities. ASIC is also guided by the United Nations’ (UN) definition of disability outlined in the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. It includes people who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments. It advocates for the elimination of barriers that may hinder a person’s full and effective participation in society.

ASIC acknowledges that mental illness falls within the definition of ‘disability’ and that more work needs to be done, including through this AAP, to break down barriers and remove the stigma surrounding mental health.

Key outcomes from AAP 2019-22

Summarised below are the key outcomes achieved from AAP 2019–22 across the three priority areas:

Leadership engagement

  • Provided disability confidence and awareness training to staff involved in the recruitment process.
  • Senior leaders raised the profile of access and inclusion by sponsoring key diversity and inclusion events and promoting the AAP.

Organisation and culture

  • Participated in the following Australian Disability Network (ADN) mentoring programs:
    • PACE Mentoring (Molly Choucair, Senior Executive Leader, was a finalist for the 2023 Mentor of the Year Award ).
    • Stepping Into Internship Program.
  • Provided access to the Australian Government’s RecruitAbility Scheme for job candidates, as required.
  • Embedded training opportunities for all team members around Disability Awareness, Disability Confidence, Mental Health and Well-being.
  • Established a Disability Employee Network (DEN) to provide mutual support and a collective voice for team members with a disability or caring responsibilities.

Accessibility of our workplace and services

  • Ranked first place for premises in ADN’s Access and Inclusion Index and second place overall.
  • Implemented a Workplace Adjustments Policy and provided support for team members as required.
  • Refurbished ASIC offices to comply with most recent versions of the National Construction Code.
  • Introduced unconscious bias awareness within ASIC induction training.
  • Created new guidance and checklists to support team members in providing dignified access at all ASIC events, meetings and functions.
  • Updated ASIC’s Procurement Policy to include a clear commitment to access and inclusion.
  • Regular communication to promote accessibility awareness via events, articles and sharing personal stories from team members with lived experience.

Key priorities for AAP 2024-26

To realise ASIC’s accessibility vision, we will continue to build on the work previously undertaken through measurable actions to address our three priority areas.

Leadership engagement

Strong leadership engagement is essential to motivate, develop and retain our people.

Our leaders should be collaborative, engaging and committed to change, and help facilitate an inclusive, trusting and equal opportunity environment.

Team members at all levels across ASIC have leadership responsibilities and should model professionalism by always being honest, fair and valuing and treating everyone with respect.

Organisation and culture

A high level of disability awareness across ASIC is essential for improving disability confidence. By promoting disability awareness both internally and externally, we position ourselves as a disability employer of choice. This gives us the opportunity to recruit from a wider talent pool which truly reflects the society we serve.

Accessibility of our workplace and services

Ensuring that our workplace is accessible means that everybody can perform to their full potential.

Accessibility includes both the physical and virtual environment. Having an accessible working environment means that we have access to a wider talent pool and can attract, recruit and retain the best people. It is also about valuing our team members and their differences. We are also committed to ensuring that our services are accessible to all our stakeholders.

More information

About ASIC’s Accessibility Committee

ASIC’s AC was established in 2015. The purpose of the committee is to provide strategic leadership and a forum to implement ideas and initiatives, in collaboration with internal stakeholders, to ensure ASIC continues to improve as an accessible workplace and service provider.

The AC is comprised of representatives from a range of ASIC teams and levels. This wide representation is to ensure that the committee can have informed discussions about what ASIC already does to ensure an accessible workplace, and what it can do better.

The DEN was established in 2023 to provide mutual support and a collective voice for team members with a disability or caring responsibilities.

If you have feedback or suggestions about the AAP, email: Accessibility.Committee@asic.gov.au

Useful contacts

Australian Disability Network

Australian Human Rights Commission

People with Disability Australia

 

Last updated: 26/03/2025 05:18