Equity policy

Australian Neutron Beam User Group (ANBUG)


The aim of this policy is to promote equity in the operations and dealings of the Australian Beam User Group (ANBUG).  The ANBUG executive members acknowledge and thank the Australasian Colloid and Interface Society (ACIS) for allowing them to use their own policy as a basis.

ANBUG’s constitution states that the purpose of the society is “the advancement of Australian and New Zealand neutron beam research” and we recognise that this goes hand in hand with fostering a culture of inclusiveness and actively working to eliminate all forms of discrimination.  ANBUG recognises that the adoption of policies that promote fairness will continue to strengthen the community and contribute to a vital, representative organisation that makes the most of the skills of a diverse membership.

ANBUG will monitor its performance in terms of equity by producing and publishing on the ANBUG website statistical summaries of its main initiatives and committees, specifying gender and other appropriate indicators of an equitable and accessible community.

Governance

  1. Executive committee

Members of the ANBUG executive committee are appointed by election.  All members will be encouraged to nominate for election particularly those from equity groups.

Appointment to any committees formed by the ANBUG executive will be done with consideration to diversity of representation, including factors such as geographic and scientific diversity along with gender balance. These considerations should be included in the minutes with the appointment.

  • Activities

ANBUG organises symposia and other events as part of its operations.  The organisation of these events will be conducted in a manner that ensures equity principles are upheld.

  • Symposia policy

ANBUG recognises the positive impact that a conference speaking invitation or official involvement in running of a conference can have on the track record and visibility of its members.  We also recognise that some sections of the scientific community are often under-represented in conference programs, and that this can affect diversity in the long-term. Our policies are developed to promote quality and equality. Every symposium or conference that ANBUG organises or supports will collect and publish statistics on diversity of participants.

  • Speaker Invitations

Invitations to all ANBUG endorsed events, in particular plenary and keynote speakers are made to high quality researchers that represent the broad diversity of our community.  We will aim to cover geographic diversity and allow speaking opportunities to both early career and more established members of the community.  The same principles will apply to organising committees and session chairs.  We have a target of 50% female speakers for all plenary, keynote and invited speakers at our events. 

Our symposia provide a limited number of privileged opportunities to a small number of participants.  These are characterised by plenary lectures, keynote lectures and financial support.   To ensure that more delegates have access to these opportunities, privileged speakers in one year’s ANBUG conference should not include privileged speakers from the two previous conferences.

  • Awards

ANBUG will actively work to eliminate bias in the selection of awards and will measure the representation of equity groups in awards received and in the nominations for awards.  Members of the awards committee should educate themselves on issues such as unconscious bias in order to inform their decision making.

  • AONSA

ANBUG is a member society of the Asia-Oceania Neutron Scattering Organisation (AONSA), and as such members of the ANBUG executive participate in AONSA meetings.  ANBUG aims to be a regional leader in terms of diversity and will seek to influence AONSA to establish corresponding equity policies regionally.

  • Measuring and reporting

The performance of the Society with regard to equity and access will be measured on a biennial basis and reported to the membership.  The ANBUG President will include a statement on the equity performance of the Society in the address to the Annual General Meeting.