Victorian Public Sector LGBTQ+ Forum – Quarter 4: Inclusion in Action

This forum is facilitated by Pride in Diversity and hosted by Melbourne Water. It is open to Victorian public sector organisations, including government departments, agencies, authorities, local government and other public sector organisations, whether or not they are Pride in Diversity members.

For our final Victorian Public Sector LGBTQ+ Forum of 2026, we’ll bring the sector together to reflect on what is working, explore emerging priorities and share practical approaches to strengthening LGBTQ+ inclusion across our workplaces.

Hosted by Melbourne Water, the forum will feature practical insights into LGBTQ+ inclusion in a complex public sector environment, alongside opportunities for participants to share challenges, approaches and lessons from their own organisations.

As always, a significant part of the forum will be dedicated to peer discussion and collaboration. Our facilitated roundtable will create space to hear what is happening across the sector, identify common themes and challenges, and explore where organisations can learn from and support one another.

While the primary focus is workplace inclusion, we recognise that many public sector organisations also consider LGBTQ+ inclusion across service delivery and broader community contexts. The forum will create space to explore these intersections while maintaining a practical workplace focus.

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Who should attend?

This forum is designed for people responsible for progressing LGBTQ+ inclusion, diversity, equity and inclusion, workplace culture or employee experience across the Victorian public sector, including:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practitioners
People & Culture professionals
LGBTQ+ Employee Network leaders
Executive Sponsors
Wellbeing and Culture practitioners
Organisational Development professionals
Leaders with responsibility for inclusion initiatives

You'll leave with:

Practical insights from across the Victorian public sector.
Ideas to strengthen LGBTQ+ inclusion within your organisation.
Opportunities to share challenges, successes and emerging priorities with peers.
New connections to support ongoing collaboration across government and the broader public sector.
Insights to help inform LGBTQ+ inclusion priorities for 2027.

Session highlights

Welcome from Melbourne Water
Pride in Diversity update
Melbourne Water inclusion spotlight
Cross-sector insights and emerging priorities
Audience Q&A
Facilitated roundtable discussion
Looking ahead to LGBTQ+ inclusion priorities for 2027

About Pride in Diversity

Pride in Diversity is Australia's national not-for-profit employer support program for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.

We partner with organisations across Australia—including all levels of government and the broader public sector—to strengthen LGBTQ+ inclusion through strategic advice, capability development, policy guidance, benchmarking and practical implementation support.

These Victorian Public Sector Forums provide an opportunity for organisations to connect, share experiences and learn from one another as we collectively strengthen LGBTQ+ inclusion across Victorian workplaces.

Accessibility

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

This forum will be delivered in a hybrid format. To maximise opportunities for networking, collaboration and discussion, we strongly encourage in-person attendance where possible.

If you are based regionally, require an adjustment to support your participation, or would prefer to attend online, please contact JB Beninato at jbeninato@acon.org.au to discuss available options.

If you have any other accessibility requirements or require adjustments to participate fully, please let us know during registration or contact us before the event.

Venue

Melbourne Water
Docklands, Melbourne VIC

Further venue and arrival information will be provided to registered attendees.

Arrival and security

Please allow additional time on arrival for building access and registration.

Further information regarding visitor access, identification requirements and arrival procedures will be provided to registered attendees prior to the forum.

Contact the host of Q4 PiD x VPS Forum: LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Practice Across Government