People with disability and accessibility

We are committed to providing a supportive culture and creating inclusive and accessible workplaces, branches and services for our people and customers.

With 1 in 5 Australians living with disability, our commitment is for the long term and we are regularly reviewing our progress and looking for ways to innovate. Specifically, we are focusing on: employment, training and career development; financial independence; embedded accessibility in banking products and services; accessible communities and accessible communications.
 

More information is available in our Accessibility Action Plan 2017-2020.


Watch the Business Council of Australia's video and report on employing people with disability, featuring Westpac Group.


We are also a founding Platinum member of the Australian Network on Disability.

What we are doing for our people

Champions for change

Empowering our people to inform, advise and champion change through the ABLE (Assisting Better Lives for Everyone) Employee Action Group.

Accessible building design

  • Incorporating building and workplace design and new technologies including innovative and accessible design features such as flooring materials, which are functional and aesthetic.
  • Best-practice intuitive accessibility design has been rolled out in new building developments such as 150 Collins Street in Melbourne, and Sydney's new corporate office at Barangaroo. This includes consistent floor layouts to make it easier to move through the building and providing round tables in meeting rooms, which are preferred by people with hearing impairments.
  • Together with partners Lendlease and the Australian Network on Disability, Westpac Group won the Australian Human Rights 2016 Business Award for the intuitively accessible development of the Barangaroo office and the ‘Design for Dignity’ Guidelines.

Training

Offering our people a comprehensive suite of national training and development initiatives including:

  • Accessibility awareness training, which challenges assumptions and myths about people with disability
  • 'Breaking down the Barriers' disability training to help our people be more confident when working with or serving people with disability
  • Participating in the Australian Network on Disability's Stepping Into and PACE university internship and mentoring programs
  • Supporting people leaders with the Manager's Guide to Disability in the Workplace.

 

Industry Insights

A selection of case studies, research and reports outlining our approach:
 

Diversity Council of Australia case study on Westpac’s Employee Action Groups (PDF 1MB)

Bain & Company’s ‘The Power of Flexibility’ report including a case study on Westpac Group (PDF 4MB)

Chief Executive Women - gender equality case study (PDF 1MB)