UNSW has been awarded its fifth SAGE Cygnet Award, this time for improving workplace culture.

UNSW has taken action to address gender inequities and workplace safety. Inclusive leadership training and diversity-focused committee guidelines have contributed to a 17.5 percentage point increase in women and gender-diverse staff in senior STEMM leadership roles.

UNSW has also strengthened its response to gendered violence by introducing a sexual misconduct prevention module for all staff and launching a complaints reporting system that allows concerns to be raised anonymously. These efforts have led to an increase in staff agreement that gender-based and sexual harassment are not tolerated—from 85% in 2017 to 89.2% in 2024.

These systemic changes have resulted in broader cultural shifts. Staff agreement that UNSW fosters an inclusive workplace has risen from 75% in 2017 to 81% in 2024, while perceptions of leadership commitment to diversity have improved from 56% to 64.9%.

Getting closer to Silver

This fifth SAGE Cygnet Award makes UNSW eligible to apply for the next level of SAGE accreditation, the Athena Swan Silver Award.

Professor Bruce Watson, Pro Vice-Chancellor Societal Transformation & Equity, highlighted the significance of the milestone, saying, “Achieving the full set of five Cygnet Awards demonstrates UNSW’s unwavering commitment to gender equity and the broader principles of diversity and inclusion.

“The Workplace Culture award recognises the systemic changes and continuous efforts made across the University to foster a more inclusive environment for all.”

Scientia Professor Fiona Stapleton, Academic Lead of the UNSW Athena Swan implementation program 2021-2024, said: “Achieving this fifth and final Cygnet Award demonstrates the collective and collaborative efforts that have been made across the whole of UNSW to improve our workplace culture.

With the achievement of the full set of Cygnet Awards, I am delighted that UNSW has been recognised for our progress across all five key areas – from academia, to student STEMM pathways, to evolving a flexible, inclusive and equitable learning and workplace culture that underpins all that we do.”

Future focused

As UNSW prepares to apply for the Athena Swan Silver Award, it remains committed to deepening its impact. Upcoming initiatives include the Policy Transformation Program, faculty-specific gender equity targets, and mentoring programs for women and gender-diverse staff. Additionally, UNSW will publish an annual Gendered Violence Prevention & Response Report and expand MATE Bystander training to empower staff and students to intervene in harmful situations.

With strong leadership and a clear roadmap for future progress, UNSW continues to drive meaningful, lasting change in gender equity and workplace inclusion.

SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft congratulated the University on the Award, and on their progress through the accreditation framework “I particularly commend UNSW on their plans for future improvements: this is a university that is committed to equity and is not letting up.”

Find out more

You can read all about UNSW‘s actions, outcomes and impacts in their full Cygnet Award application, or read an overview version in this progress and impact summary.