Alcoa proud Supporting Partner at WA Pride Parade

For the fifth year in a row and the first as a Supporting Partner, Alcoa of Australia employees, including Chairman and Managing Director Michael Parker, took part in the Western Australian Pride Parade in support of people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) on Saturday 24 November.

The streets of Northbridge were awash with colour as more than 100 groups showed their support for the LGBTI community, including members and allies of Alcoa’s employee affiliation group EAGLE - Employees at Alcoa for Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender Equality.

Alcoa recognises that today’s actions impact tomorrow’s outcomes and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive workplace which fosters respect and diversity. The company wants LGBTI employees to feel valued and equal, able to speak openly about their lives and free from harassment and prejudice.

Mr Parker, who is an EAGLE member and marched for the second time, is committed to embedding equality, inclusiveness and diversity into workplace standards, behaviours and programs.

“We have strong views on an employee’s right to be their authentic self at work, so they do not have to hide who they are from their colleagues,” Mr Parker said.

“I want everyone, regardless of their sexual identification or orientation, to feel safe, equal and valued for who they are and the diversity of ideas and experiences they bring.

“By participating in events such as the Pride Parade we demonstrate our commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace and we have a fantastic time, engaging with the crowd and soaking up the positive energy.

“Congratulations to the Pride team on a simply brilliant parade. It really is one of Perth’s best nights for colour and life and it gets bigger every year.”

As an industry leader, Alcoa is also committed to advocating for the benefits of a diverse workforce. This year the company hosted the first WA resources sector LGBTI Best Practice Forum to educate and share ideas with industry members. As a result, organisations such as Woodside, GHD and Downer have been able to advance their LGBTI support efforts.

This year, Alcoa was acknowledged for the fifth consecutive year as a Bronze Tier Employer and leading resources company under the Australian Workplace Equality Index program, the national benchmark for LGBTI workplace inclusion. Furthermore, Pinjarra Refinery Manager, Mark Hodgson, was named the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards 2018 Network Leader of the Year for championing inclusion in a male-dominated, traditional workplace and the complexity of bringing cultural change to the resources industry.

ENDS

Media contact:
Jane McGuire, Senior Communications Adviser, 0410 694 676, jane.mcguire@alcoa.com