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In a time of fatigue, fear, and retreat, diversity advocates are calling on executives and HR practitioners to sustain progress, emphasise the strategic value of DEI, and counter polarisation with the Australian ethos of a "fair go for all".

The National Conversation: Australia's response to anti-woke, anti-DEI backlash draws on the views of more than 320 CEOs, executives, board directors, and DEI practitioners, to explore the strategic insights and the practical experiences of those delivering DEI on the ground.

According to the director of ACON's Pride Inclusion Programs Dawn Emsen-Hough, who led the project and authored the report, inclusion efforts are "increasingly contested, both globally and locally" but remain a strategy for resilience, innovation, and trust.

The report notes that the "climate of uncertainty" created by the dismantling of DEI initiatives in the US has caused some organisations to scale back or conceal their commitments, particularly in relation to LGBTQ+ inclusion...