Inclusive language

Use “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples” in full, capitalised, and use the plural — these are many nations, not one group. Where you know the community, name it: the specific nation or language group is always better than a general term.

“First Nations” is widely accepted and is what many organisations use for themselves. Avoid acronyms for people, and avoid the possessive “our” — communities are not ours.

Use descriptors such as “people over 65”, “older people” and “young people” rather than “the elderly”, “seniors” or “youths”. Only mention age when it is relevant to what you are writing about.

“Culturally and linguistically diverse” describes a very wide range of people, so be as specific as your subject allows. Where you are writing about racism or exclusion, say so directly rather than using diversity as a euphemism for it.

Follow the preference of the person or organisation you are writing about. Many people prefer “people with disability”; others prefer identity-first language such as “disabled people” or “Deaf person”. Ask.

Never treat non-disabled people as the standard of normal. Avoid “suffers from”, “confined to a wheelchair” and “special needs”, and do not use disability or mental illness as metaphors.

Our broad approach to fairness, respect and equal opportunity: addressing systemic disparities, encouraging diversity and building inclusion. Spell it out the first time it appears in any document.

Equality means treating everyone the same. Equity means recognising that people start from different places and allocating resources accordingly. We pursue equality by practising equity, and the two words are not interchangeable.

Understand the difference between gender and sex, and use the terms and pronouns people use for themselves. Default to gender-neutral wording for roles and groups. Use LGBTIQ+ or LGBTQIA+ consistently within a document rather than switching between them.

The pushing of people or groups to the edges of society through a lack of access to rights, resources and opportunity — often linked to protected attributes such as race, gender, age, disability, religion, sexuality or where someone lives. Name the mechanism where you can: who is doing the excluding, and how.

Use “neurodivergent” for an individual, “neurotypical” for someone who is not, and “neurodiverse” for a group that contains both. A single person is not neurodiverse.

Acknowledge and respect the full range of religious and philosophical beliefs, including atheism and agnosticism. Do not assume a default faith, or a default calendar.

Underfunded describes organisations that face barriers to accessing finance and cannot meet their funding needs. Underserved describes communities without access to essential services and resources. Both put the problem where it belongs — with the system, not the people in it.

The associations we hold without meaning to, which shape decisions about lending, hiring and who gets the benefit of the doubt. Naming it is not the same as fixing it; the fix is a process that does not rely on individual good intentions.

People and communities at risk of harm, abuse or exploitation, often because of social, political or economic exclusion. We prefer “vulnerable” and “marginalised” to “disadvantaged”, “poor” or “deprived”, and we treat vulnerability as a circumstance someone is in rather than a description of who they are.