Tech's diversity test
The Tech Council is hoping that its summit this week will mark a turning point for diversity in the sector. It's clear that a wake-up call is needed.
As the US braces for the potential rollback of diversity initiatives under a second Trump presidency, it offers Australia's technology sector a sobering preview of what's at stake.
This week should have been a triumph for diversity in Australian tech, with the Tech Council of Australia launching ambitious new standards for inclusion. Instead, a series of contradictory signals suggests just how fragile progress can be without genuine commitment.
Consider Employment Hero, a $2 billion HR software company that this year cancelled an International Women's Day initiative to highlight women in the company, as we reported earlier this week. The company's rationale? Recognition based on gender creates "unnecessary division". Instead, the company scheduled a talk by its two male co-founders about their "combined 32+ years of experience".
This wasn't a one-off. It was a deliberate policy decision, codified in what the company calls "The EH Way" — an internal culture document that emphasises the importance of being "apolitical". The document asserts that taking positions on social issues inherently divides teams "into people who agree with the stance the company took, and people who don't".
