VICSES CEO speaks at women in public sector leadership summit

VICSES CEO speaks at women in public sector leadership summit

10/09/2021, 4:35 PM

Last week, Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) CEO Stephen Griffin, joined other business leaders across the public sector, as he spoke at the Women In Public Sector Leadership Summit on Friday 3 September, 2021.

Stephen was joined by Tanya Monro, Chief Defence Scientist from the Department of Defence to discuss “The behaviour you walk past”, with a focus on what can be done to increase women’s safety and belonging in workplaces.

In its fourth year, the Women in Public Sector Leadership Summit features inspiring keynotes, career-focused case studies, cutting panel discussions and interactive workshops from impressive women (and men) from Australia’s Public Sector and beyond.

With a strong focus on gender equality at VICSES presently, the summit was a great opportunity for Stephen to be part of the conversation and highlight the importance of driving best practice standards to ensure each and every member of our organisation, and the wider community feels safe and supported.

Throughout his panel discussion, Stephen emphasised the importance of remaining committed to all members within our organisation. He reminded panel members of our commitment to maintaining high standards of integrity, professionalism and accountability at all times, in line with our values and our volunteer code of conduct.

Based on a commitment to best practise, and recent issues in relation to bullying and harassment across the emergency management sector, Stephen also talked to the VICSES independent review into this area, instigated in May 2021.

Stephen noted that this review, along with other recent work by VICSES to drive contemporary standards in support of our people, is seemingly giving people the confidence to come forward if any actions or behaviours do not meet expectations. This is what is needed to deliver on the commitment to the safety, wellbeing and investment in our people.

Stephen is also a Member of the Champions of Change Fire & Emergency Group which was established in 2017 in partnership with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC). The group includes Chief Executives and Commissioners leading more than 30 agencies responsible for fire, emergency and land management services across Australia and New Zealand.

Stephen remains committed to advancing gender equity, inclusive cultures and achieving significant and sustainable improvements in the representation of women in their workplaces.

At VICSES, we are a values-based organisation made up of a very diverse workforce of different cultures, beliefs, opinions, knowledge and experience.

With more than 5000 volunteers and over 200 employees, we are extremely proud of our growing diversity.  Many amazing women are part of VICSES, contributing significantly to our organisation and to their communities.

We are proud of our commitment to promoting and celebrating diversity and will continue to work towards achieving a more gender balanced and fair workplace.

To see more articles about the culture at VICSES, click here.