In his years working at Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW), Donald Hughan has seen a growing focus in the water industry on how to support people with disability in their work.
Donald was recently named the deputy chair of the organising committee for WaterAble, a network for people with disability and their allies in the Victorian water industry.
His role sees him assisting the chair, attending meetings, speaking at events and contributing to the celebration of days such as the International Day for People with Disability on 3 December 2020.
“It’s important to advocate for people with a disability in all industries, but particularly in the water industry,” Donald said.
“It’s vital to support the needs of people with a disability and assist them to be able to have the confidence to raise any issues or concerns they may have. An advocate will also empower a person with a disability to achieve and overcome any barriers that stand before them.”
Donald has worked in a number of roles at GMW and is now a Business Support Officer, working with teams across the organisation. He said that GMW provides a flexible working environment to support people with a disability.
“It’s about understanding the importance of allowing a person with a disability to have that flexibility within their working life,” he said.
“It’s really important for anyone supporting someone with a disability to give them the courage to be the best they can be, and the courage to not shy away from particular tasks or activities just because they have a disability.
“It’s just a matter of working out the best possible way of doing that task or activity, and not allowing any barriers to stand in your way.
“One thing GMW can improve is promoting that we are an organisation that supports disability inclusion, but also recognising it needs to apply to all levels of our organisation. But we are improving in that area, and based on the conversations I’ve had of late, it’s only going to get better.”
Outside of work, Donald has been a volunteer with the Rochester unit of the State Emergency Service since 2015, and is now the Deputy Controller of Administration.
This role has seen him deployed during the 2019 bushfire season to work in logistics in the Incident Control Centres in Ovens and Bairnsdale.
“Being part of the SES is something I love,” he said.
“Having the ability to assist not only the community but the whole state of Victoria in times of need is something I am very proud to be able to do, and I thank the SES for being another organisation, like GMW, that supports people with a disability.
“I would also like to thank GMW for being very supportive of my volunteer journey.”
GMW General Manager People, Culture and Safety Glenda Smith said the organisation’s People and Culture Strategy continues to build accountability for diversity and inclusion in all forms throughout GMW.
“Our diversity and inclusion target for disability for this year is five per cent of our workforce identifying as having a disability. We currently have four per cent and so we have work to do,” she said.
“However, we are passionate about supporting all our employees, including offering a range of flexible work options.
“We are also in the process of setting up a number of new employee networks – the first being our Network for People with Disability and their Allies, which will help us learn about what’s important to our staff, where GMW is hitting the mark, and where we can improve further.”
More information about WaterAble can be found at www.waterable.com.au