Code of Conduct

PURPOSE

Australian Progress is committed to creating a safe and inclusive experience for everyone who participates in our events and trainings, regardless of your gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, economic status, immigration status or refugee status. 

We do not tolerate harassment of participants at our events or trainings in any form, and any participants who violate these rules may be asked to leave without a refund.

HOW YOU CAN HELP ENSURE OUR EVENTS AND TRAININGS ARE INCLUSIVE SPACES:

  • Please be considerate, respectful and cooperative. This includes following instructions about safety or other matters, and taking care not to damage others’ property.

  • During discussions, encourage others to join in. Share when relevant and listen when appropriate. If you notice people dominating a discussion, ask for feedback from quieter attendees.

  • Respect and honour a diversity of ideologies and experiences, knowing that we are all part of the same movement. Respect that your experience may not be the experience of others, hear others’ perspective and allow yourself to be moved. Embrace new ideas and new ways of moving our shared strategy forward.

  • Address the idea/strategy/tactic, not the person (e.g. Don’t say: "You're stupid, that will never work." Say: “I don’t understand how that aligns with our strategy. Can you say more?”). Assume good intentions and check your condescension, we are all learning from each other.

  • Move Up, Move Back: Be aware of how much space you’re taking up (or not!). Consider your privilege and identities when contributing, as well as how much you’re posting in relation to others. We also want to ensure that voices who’ve historically been marginalised are heard (First Nations people, people of colour, people with disability, women, LGBTQI+ people, young people etc).

  • Be thankful when you are held accountable and aim to learn from different perspectives. Ask questions and share insights with an open heart. Avoid dismissing the ideas of others, even if they do not align with your personal beliefs.

  • Where available, we encourage you to list your name and pronoun, whether during video calls or in-person discussions. State your name when you speak - and if you’re leading a session, ask meeting participants to state their name each time they speak.

  • When speaking, please aim to keep your lips visible for those who speech-read.

  • If your environment is likely to be noisy during an online session, consider installing an app that reduces background noise e.g. Krisp. Be ready to mute yourself if there is a lot of noise happening at a particular moment.

  • If you are a speaker or presenter in one of our programs, make sure that your session slides, format and activities are accessible; guidelines will be provided for you as part of the speaker briefing process.

UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR

Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning conduct will not be tolerated.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbal or written comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or clothing/dress, body size, race, age, religion,

  • Sharing sexual images in public spaces,

  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following,

  • Harassing photography or recording,

  • Sustained disruption of conversation,

  • Inappropriate or unwanted physical contact,

  • Sexual harassment of any form,

  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour.

Participants who take part in unacceptable behaviour may be asked to leave the program at the discretion of the Australian Progress team. 

WITNESSING OR EXPERIENCING UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to your lead facilitator, or our welfare and grievance coordinator for that event for a confidential conversation. 

When discussing an incident or unacceptable behaviour, Australian Progress staff will ensure you are safe and heard. They may involve other staff to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we'll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we'll handle it respectfully, and you can bring someone to support you. You won't be asked to confront anyone and we won't tell anyone who you are.

QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK ON CODE OF CONDUCT

If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct and/or have any feedback, please contact our Events Coordinator, Jess Herne. You can reach Jess at jess@australianprogress.org.au. Jess is available to speak over email, phone, text or other preferred method of communication.