La Trobe University’s founding mission is to support educational access and participation for people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Today, we remain committed to social justice, access, diversity, and inclusion in our research, education, and engagement and through the support we provide for all students and staff at the University. We also play an important leadership role in the community by setting an example through our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), by participating in public debate and discussion, and by producing evidence-based research that informs policy and practice.
Our commitment to EDI is particularly important in the context of current global developments, including reports about Australian researchers with links to US-government funded projects being surveyed about their work. I want to assure everyone in the La Trobe community that we are absolutely committed to supporting our EDI programs, just as we are steadfast in our support for all researchers at La Trobe. We are dedicated to academic freedom, and research that is based on evidence and advances social progress and human wellbeing.
Draft EDI strategy open for feedback
I am pleased to advise that, following a comprehensive consultation process, we have developed a new draft EDI Strategy that reflects our commitment to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable University for all members of our community. We are now seeking your feedback on our EDI Strategy.
I encourage you to read the draft strategy document and provide feedback to help strengthen this important framework for everyone in our University community.
The deadline to provide feedback on our draft EDI Strategy is 5pm Wednesday 2 April 2025. All feedback is anonymous.
Thank you for your time in providing feedback and your commitment to this important work.
Professor Theo Farrell
Vice-Chancellor
Accessibility – Please email the EDI team on diversity.inclusion@latrobe.edu.au if you require a word version of the draft EDI Strategy.
About the draft EDI Strategy
The new EDI Strategy proposes an intersectional, whole-of-institution approach to challenge systemic barriers, progress EDI and promote an inclusive culture at all levels.
It encompasses several key sections, reflecting a comprehensive approach to EDI. At its core is the vision to transform the University through EDI, ensuring an inclusive environment for all members of the La Trobe community.
The strategic priorities will guide our approach and actions over the next five years, focusing on:
- Strengthening EDI knowledge and practices.
- Creating inclusive campuses and culture.
- Empowering diverse community growth.
- Advancing EDI through leadership and accountability.
Supporting the Strategy will be an internal Framework and detailed Implementation Plan with specific actions, areas of responsibility and a timeline clearly identified.
Work to date
The La Trobe University Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy and Framework project underwent a comprehensive consultation process from June to September 2024. This included the following:
- Scoping conversations: Meetings were held across campuses (Bendigo, Shepparton, Albury-Wodonga and Mildura) to understand the consultation needs of each campus.
- Questionnaire: Open to all staff and students to gather quantitative and qualitative data on EDI experiences and perceptions.
- Consultation Sessions: A series of facilitated sessions with various stakeholders and staff and student cohorts about the EDI Strategy and Framework.
- Project Reference Group: comprising academic and professional staff, people with lived experience, student-facing staff, EDI Advisory Group members and functional area representatives who provided feedback on the consultation approach and strategy development.
- Senior Executive Group (SEG): Each SEG member had a one-on-one session following the broader consultation period to discuss initial consultation results and their perspectives on EDI at La Trobe.
- EDI Committee: provided strategic oversight and governance during the development process.
In total, 238 people attended 31 consultation sessions held across the University, in-person and online. These consultations have supported the development of the draft EDI Strategy for staff and student feedback.