OPTIMA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Sub-Committee Plan

OPTIMA’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee seeks to provide equal opportunities and equal expectations for all individuals within OPTIMA. View the OPTIMA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Sub-Committee Plan.

Or, contact a member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee to find out more.

OPTIMA Events Code of Conduct

The Centre is committed to providing a workplace that is diverse, tolerant and respectful. This extends to the culture of our workshops and events.

We acknowledge that robust intellectual debate and critique are ingredients in the advancement of scientific knowledge. Attendees are reminded to ensure such interactions are conducted upon a foundation of kindness and respect.

Gender, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, age, disability and other personal characteristics should not be impediments to your full engagement and enjoyment of this event. We celebrate the fact that diversity enhances our centre.

To maintain a positive and open workshop environment, you agree to abide by standards that are ethical, respectful and considerate of all other attendees, venue staff and patrons at all times. This includes in-person and online interactions during the winter school, associated social events and other interactions with participants.

You are also reminded that while attending the event and related social functions you remain obligated to abide by the Centre policy on diversity, inclusion and harassment as well as your own institution’s staff or student code of conduct. As such any breaches may lead to exclusion from the workshop and/or disciplinary actions in line with your workplace or student conduct policies.

OPTIMA Complaints Policy – here

What to do if you encounter misconduct

Any member of OPTIMA who wishes to report or discuss an issue related to misconduct is encouraged to contact the OPTIMA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee or any member of the Executive Committee. You can find the contacts of all members on the OPTIMA website’s ‘Our People’ page.

Details of the various support networks at your respective nodes can be found below. Please note you may need to log into your university website in order to access the pages.

Support Resources

If you require support and assistance with any situation affecting you, there are resources within the OPTIMA universities that can help. Please contact any of the below services in case of need:

Lifeline – 13 11 14

Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636

A safe community is everybody’s business. Everyone has the right to feel safe. The University of Melbourne’s safer community program gives us the opportunity to pass on the behaviour of concern before it develops into something serious. Safer Community Website

Look after yourself: Look out for one another Here’s some information to help you make the most of the support services the University offers and enjoy a safe, respectful and inclusive environment on and off campus.

The Respect Taskforce is the University’s strategic unit responsible for defining and prioritising the goals of the University in eliminating sexual assault and sexual harassment.

The University of Melbourne offers a variety of well-being and support services for staff and students. Find Support Services here.

The Safety and Security at Monash University is focused on early identification of observable behaviour that presents a risk to the safety and well-being of self or others. It provides advice and support as well as key information to help staff and students in difficult or risky situations.

Monash University is committed to social justice, human rights and inclusion for all, including support for Indigenous Australians and members of the LGBTIQ community. More information can be found on the Diversity and Inclusion page.

Information on Financial assistance, health and counselling, and disability services, as well as other services available, can be accessed on the Student Support Sevices page.

The Student complaints and grievances page should be referred to if a student from Monash wishes to make a complaint.

Essential

1. The composition of the organising committee should aim for gender balance.
2. As part of the application for OPTIMA support or funding, the organising committee should develop a strong E&D policy and make it publicly available on the event’s website.
3. The organising committee should identify the baseline representation of female researchers in the relevant field and aim for that among invited speakers.
4. The committee should strive for a gender-balanced list of plenary speakers, as this is often more achievable than balancing the entire invited speaker list.
5. The committee should prepare a list of invited female speakers well in advance, allowing for significant redundancy, and prioritise inviting them first. Male speakers should not replace female invitees who are unable to attend.
6. The committee should recognise that gender balance decreases with seniority, and therefore invite more early-career female researchers to promote future gender balance.

Desirable

1. The committee should consider making the event family-friendly.
2. Where possible, the event should offer childcare services and travel assistance for families to enable participation by women and other primary carers.
3. The location of the event should be family-friendly, offering amenities such as a family room, childcare, or on-site activities, and ensuring that social events are inclusive.