Reducing Hiring Risk in Government: Turning D&I Policy into Practice

Across the Tasmanian State Service, and Government NSW, government agencies and local councils have made strong commitments to diversity and inclusion.

The Tasmanian State Service D&I Framework sets a clear direction: build a workforce that reflects the community and ensures equitable access to employment, especially for those with a disability or for those in minority communities.

However, the challenge is no longer policy—it is one of execution. I’d argue there is a gap between Policy and Practice

Many government organisations at state or local authority level already have:

• Strong D&I strategies
• Clear policy intent
• Leadership commitment

However, recruitment processes often remain: Inconsistent, Unstructured and vulnerable to bias. This creates a disconnect between what organisations say they will do and what actually happens in reality in the hiring practices and the decisions they deliver. Despite the organisations best intentions.

Where Hiring Risks Actually Sit in Government….

The highest risk areas are not always obvious and not always at interview. They typically occur very early on in the process, such as in:

1. Role Design - Overly rigid selection criteria or “essential” criteria, reduces flexibility, and knocks out people before the role is even advertised. Such rigidity or language can unintentionally exclude capable candidates from applying or believing they can apply.
   
2. Shortlisting - Bias often enters here—before candidates are even interviewed. We’ve seen it many times (and yes in government agencies) where people are shortlisted on their surname! Or postcode address…..Assumptions are made.
   
3. Interviews - Unstructured interviews, poor question design and poor probing and scoring remain one of the biggest drivers of inequitable outcomes.
   
4. Decision-Making - Gut feel” and groupthink (of a panel as to who would be “a good fit”) can override objective evidence based on merit or consideration of reasonable adjustments.

Why This All Matters for Government?

For public sector organisations, this is not just a talent issue – or a brand issue, or about representing the communities you serve, it is a compliance and accountability issue. Government Agencies and Councils must be able to demonstrate that recruitment decisions are:

• Fair and bias free
• Transparent
• Evidence-based
• Aligned to legislative and policy frameworks (advertised on their own websites)

Failure to support D&I frameworks or ensure unconscious bias in hiring practices ultimately creates:

• Audit risk
• Legal exposure
• Reputational and brand damage
• Reduced community trust in the process

So, What Good Looks Like? And How Can We Get there?

Leading government agencies are now shifting towards ensuring their hiring managers and panels know and are trained in:

• Structured, competency-based selection methods
• Clear scoring and documentation frameworks
• Diverse and trained interview panels
• Active bias and unconscious bias mitigation training and strategies
• Data-driven recruitment insights and decisions
• Active reviews of current hiring practices by an external auditor

This is where your D&I initiatives can move from intent to impact

A Practical Starting Point

If you are unsure where your organisation sits, start with a simple question:

“Could we confidently defend our last hiring decision?” or “Do we know how that last Hiring Decision was made”. And here’s a big tip a Selection Report, won’t cut it. That just describes a process and the successful or unsuccessful candidate outcomes. It doesn’t mean the process was fair or free from bias!

If the answer is unclear, it is time to review your process or ensure that people have training and tools. I’d argue embedding inclusive and compliant hiring practices is not just a nice thing to do. It’s essential to ensure D&I frameworks and policies work in practice. Being hired (getting into the workforce in the first place, often against several barriers to hire for minorities and disability candidates) is a great starting point for ongoing employment! For many the barriers are real, and so is the bias.

We have to work hard to recognise them and assist people in what to do when bias comes into play, and mitigate these risks, and the disadvantages for some.

This does not require a complete overhaul—but it does require review, structure, capability and accountability to make D&I hiring a reality. From policy to practice.

So, if your government agency or organisation is looking to:

• Reduce hiring risk
• Improve diversity and inclusion outcomes
• Strengthen recruitment capability with hiring managers

a structured recruitment review or targeted training program and templates is often the most effective starting point.

For more information check out our website Hiring in Government page, and also download our:

• Recruitment Health Checks (suitable for Government)
• Demystifying Government Recruitment Myths article
• Hiring Risk Checklist for Government

These tools are designed to be immediately usable by Hiring Managers and HR teams.

If useful, Hill Consulting would be happy to:

• Have a chat with you re running a short Recruitment Risk & D&I diagnostic session
• Deliver targeted Hiring Manager training (covering bias, compliance, and structured selection)
• Support a broader Recruitment Process Review with our Government Recruitment Health Check

Please feel free to reach out if this is an area of focus for your team.

???? Get in touch today to discuss what’s right for your organisation. If you prefer, you can give Rachel a call on 0403 899083, or email rachel@rachelhillconsultinghrs.com.au .

We provide practical tools to support compliant, inclusive hiring practices in Government.