Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas, is the patron of a contentious non-profit group that urges employers to avoid using the terms “mother” and “father” in the workplace.
ACON, a queer health organization with offices in Sydney and funding from the ABC and the NSW Government, recommended businesses to drop the phrases in order to support LGBTQ inclusivity.
The lobbying organization has proposed that “primary caregiver” and “secondary caregiver” be used in lieu of the phrases “mother” and “father.”
In 2018, Mr. Joyce was named a co-patron for ACON’s Pride in Diversity campaign. He has since made multiple appearances at events with other directors.
Upon his appointment, he commented, “I’m honored to be part of ACON’s efforts to establish workplaces where LGBTI Australians feel secure to be themselves.”
“Companies have so much to gain when workers bring their complete selves to work, but I’ve heard too many tales from individuals who feel they have to spend a lot of energy trying to hide a large part of their personality,” one person said.
ACON President Dr. Justin Koonin welcomed Mr. Joyce and noted that he offers a depth of leadership and advocacy expertise from the business sector.
“Even with the successful passage of marriage equality legislation in 2017, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done, and it is important that we have outstanding leaders, advocates, and allies in every aspect of Australian life,” Dr. Koonin said. “This obviously includes within Australia’s major business, governmental, and educational institutions.”
ACON, or the AIDS Council of NSW, gets $4 million from organizations that join as members, like Qantas, and $13 million yearly from the government.
The organization was first established in 1985 to address the AIDS pandemic. Since then, it has expanded to include promoting federal workplace regulations.
To ensure that gender stereotypes are not perpetuated, the advocacy organization recommends companies to refrain from using gendered words when drafting office regulations.
According to the advocacy group’s training film for employers, “when we continue to use phrases that buy into that, such as “maternity leave,” “paternity leave,” “mother,” and “dads,” all of these terms, it’s reinforcing those gender stereotypes.”
Our parental leave regulations often reflect the conventional idea that a woman would get pregnant, have a child, and then take six months off work to be the kid’s main caretaker. It adds that the spouse could also take a few weeks off from work.
Qantas has been named a “silver LGBTQ inclusive employer” by ACON, joining other titans like PwC, Commonwealth Bank, Deloitte, and JP Morgan in receiving recognition for taking steps to make workplaces more welcoming for LGBTQ employees.
On their Mother’s Day sales page, Qantas’ website only uses the term “mother” once; the word “father” is never used.
When speaking about traveling with children, the airline instead uses the terms “parents” or “guardians.”
In response to Daily Mail Australia, Qantas said they would not explicitly comment on any association with ACON or if it adheres to its rules, but they did point out Mr. Joyce had previously used the word “mother” personally.
The airline said that it often acknowledges parents in messages on social media.
On its website, Jetstar, a sibling business of Qantas, does use the word “mother,” referring to “new moms” in the section on pregnancy.
In addition to providing travel advice for parents and promoting its non-profit partner Gidget Foundation Australia, which provides emotional assistance to expectant and new parents, competitor Virgin Australia also utilizes the phrases “mother” and “father.”
According to the VA’s website, “almost 1 in 5 moms and 1 in 10 dads will have perinatal depression and anxiety (formerly known as postnatal depression”), with suicide being the primary cause of maternal mortality.”
“That amounts to almost 10,000 Australians annually.” Almost half of all parents struggle with adjustment issues.
The Prime Minister’s office, universities, the Police, and up to 60 government departments and organizations have all signed up to participate in its programs.
ACON claimed the objective of the employer assistance program was to make workplaces for LGBTQ workers more inclusive in response to the “repeated onslaught” in recent months by “opponents of LGBTQ equality.”
“Our members work hard to be inclusive of all workers and provide inclusive workplaces for all Australians,” said the organization. According to the statement, Pride in Diversity “offers members LGBTQ subject matter knowledge in this area of their diversity and inclusion strategy.”
Pride in Diversity was founded in response to requests from businesses looking for guidance and assistance in this area to allow parity with their overseas offices and developing best practices in diversity and inclusion.
ACON claimed the objective of the employer assistance program was to make workplaces for LGBTQ workers more inclusive in response to the “repeated onslaught” in recent months by “opponents of LGBTQ equality.”
“Our members work hard to be inclusive of all workers and provide inclusive workplaces for all Australians,” said the organization. According to the statement, Pride in Diversity “offers members LGBTQ subject matter knowledge in this area of their diversity and inclusion strategy.”
Pride in Diversity was founded in response to requests from businesses looking for guidance and assistance in this area to allow parity with their overseas offices and developing best practices in diversity and inclusion.
In the 45,000-person Australian Workplace Equality Survey conducted by ACON in 2022, it was discovered that fewer people—down from 66% in 2020 to 58% in 2022—were at ease coming out to their coworkers.
Furthermore, 33% of respondents thought that certain team members wouldn’t welcome them, and 19% claimed that working outside the office would hinder their ability to advance in their job.
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