Message from the Managing Director
Ventura Diversity Strategy – Message from the Managing Director – Andrew Cornwall
Ventura, a Victorian family company, is the largest bus operator that values the composition of a family ie
diversity, age, race and differing abilities. Therefore, our drive to balance diversity is genuine and
achievable through this strategy.
Our founder, Henry Cornwall started the Ventura business at his dining room table, with his wife Myra, a
true diversity of 50%. We have lost our way over the years, through different priorities and can now
reclaim our drive to return to our beginning of a truly diverse workplace.
This Strategy puts our Directors, Executive, Managers and Supervisors on notice that priorities are to
change, and we all need to own our role in this exciting journey.
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4
About Ventura................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Strategic Priority Areas ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Key priorities ................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Progress to date ............................................................................................................................................................ 8
Actions .............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Introduction
This Strategy and Action Plan identifies opportunities for Ventura to enhance its workforce to better reflect the
diverse society we operate in.
Ventura has introduced a program to increase the number of women in the workforce (Women at the Wheel) and
set a target of growing the gender balance to 25% of the workforce by 2024. With the current (as at July 2021)
percentage of women in the workforce at 12.49%, there is a significant amount of effort to be exerted by Ventura to
get to the target.
This strategy and action plan are a roadmap to deliver on this ambition.
This Action Plan is intended to further embed inclusion into the foundation of our business, and is supported by our
Accessibility Action, Social Procurement and Local Jobs First Plans.
This strategy is underpinned by key principles which are intended to show our commitment to gender diversity
throughout the business.
1. Our employees are treated equally, fairly and with respect. We do this through:
• Acknowledging our employees have knowledge, skills and unique ideas which they bring with them into
our workplaces.
• Demonstrating appropriate workplace behaviours, including through listening, engaging and
understanding our people, and responding appropriately.
• Taking the time to acknowledge workplace diversity and inclusion and embrace the variety each person
brings to our workplace.
2. Ventura has the right conditions to encourage a more diverse and inclusive workforce. We demonstrate this
through:
• Describing what it means to be a diverse and inclusive organisation. We will explain behavioural
expectations and provide education and awareness programs to our people to engage everyone in our
journey to be a more diverse and inclusive organisation.
• Showing how a diverse workforce builds a stronger organisation and delivers better outcomes.
• We will maintain and promote a calendar of key events to recognise achievement and celebrate success,
highlighting opportunities to reinforce the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion.
• We will analyse information collected, identifying areas for focus and improvement so that we continue
to build a diverse and inclusive workplace culture.
3. Everyone in our business is accountable for diversity and inclusion. We demonstrate this through:
• All of us being accountable for fostering and promoting the right conditions for an inclusive workplace.
• having values which reflect that everyone has a role to play in recognising differences, removing barriers
and creating a cohesive, accepting work environment for all.
• Our people recognising and upholding the values, intent and importance of our diversity and inclusion
objectives and outcomes.
4. We have the right relationships in place with partners who support us in delivering on this strategy. Through:
• Considering both internal and external factors.
• Developing strong relationships with key external partners, we learn from others and broaden our ability
to engage with groups that may be under-represented at Ventura.
• Supporting and encouraging recruitment and people management solutions that help overcome
traditional barriers facing some parts of the workforce.
• We will ensure our talent acquisition and selection processes and interview panel training incorporates
diversity principles for flexible, fair and equitable recruitment outcomes.
• Vacant positions will be advertised using a range of media and networks to attract a variety of
applicants. We will leverage our relationships with partners to encourage new and innovative talent
pipeline solutions.
Further, we will continue to explore and grow the inclusion of women from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
background, LGBTIQ+ people, women with disability, and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women, women
of all socio-economic circumstances and those from across all age ranges. There will always be a focus on supporting
the broader transport agenda to attract more to the sector throughout all diversity activities that Ventura
undertakes.
About Ventura
Ventura was founded on the 24th of December 1924 when Henry Cornwall, a war veteran and Victorian farmer,
purchased a bus and began to transport customers between Box Hill and Spencer St station.
Today, Ventura, a fourth-generation Australian family company, is Victoria’s largest public transport provider, bus
operator and charter coach operator. We employee over 1,800 people and our fleet consist of over 900 buses. In
total we carry over 42 million customers per year and have accreditation with Bus Safety Victoria and ISO9001. We
have 12 depots that are positioned to service customers locally and efficiently.
Over the many years of operation, Ventura has developed a range of activities and programs which support our
diversity commitment. These programs continue to evolve through new partnerships with organisations who assist
through mentoring, training, evaluating and supporting our recruitment campaigns, education programs and
development programs.
Ventura established the Women at the Wheel Program in 2019. The purpose of the program is to encourage female
applicants by providing them with a comfortable, welcoming and personalised process to alleviate some of the initial
concerns women may feel toward entering a traditionally male dominated industry. To do this we hold four Women
At The Wheel (WATW) open days each year. These days are designed to build rapport by engaging with women from
the moment they register for an open day Our contact, follow up and confirmations are personalised and “case
managed” so by the time each participant attends the open day there is often a relationship already formed and a
general level of comfort provided for the applicant.
The open day runs with group sessions booked with a maximum of 100 slots available for each of the days. As a
group participants will;
o break into smaller groups to go onto a bus with an experienced female driver. The driver will then
take them around the yard and then back to the meeting point.
o have the opportunity to ask the female drivers questions and sit behind of the wheel of the
stationary bus (with the ignition off!) to get a feel for what it would be like to sit behind the wheel of
a bus.
o go into an information session with 2 recruiters who provide information on:
▪ Locations & rates of pay.
▪ MR licencing program.
▪ The recruitment process.
▪ How we keep our drivers safe.
▪ Question & Answers
o have an initial interview with a recruiter (if they are still interested in becoming a driver). As a result
of this, if the recruiter assesses the participant as suitable, they will be book in immediately for a
road test, usually in the upcoming week:
▪ If the participant already has their MR licence they will road test in a bus;
▪ If the participant doesn’t have an MR licence then they will road test in a car.
For those participants assessed as suitable, and they don’t have an MR licence, they will be provided with the VIC
Roads handbook and information on the licencing program. Applicants will need to pass a theory test prior to
undertaking the 2-day training course and MR licence assessment;
• Post WATW each participant is again individually supported through the recruitment process and MR
licencing program.
Whilst the WATW program is the core program for the attraction of drivers, internally, our training programs are
extending to cover areas such as unconscious bias training, recruitment, and selection training for managers, giving
feedback, difficult conversations and equal employment opportunity and workplace bullying training.
Further, we have clear policies and practices to support our approach, including:
• Equal employment opportunity policy
• Family violence leave policy
• Flexible working policy – illustrated through our lifestyle roster program
• Code of Conduct
• Employee assistance program.
The current structure within Ventura is shown in the following organisational diagram. This diagram illustrates the
leadership roles to Manager level only. The yellow shading indicates roles currently filled by female employees.
Within this structure there is an executive team accountable for the operational management of the business. This
team is considered to include the following roles: Managing Director, CFO, COO, GM Fleet, Safety & Environment
Manager, HR Manager and Commercial & Compliance Manager.
In recognition that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, the organisational structure, and executive team membership
is regularly reviewed, and changes are made to encourage inclusivity at every level.
Managing
Director
Safety &
CFO GM Fleet COO
Environment Mgr
Inventory
Payroll Manager HR Manager
Manager
Fleet Operations Senior
Finance Manager
Manager Supervisors x 6
Financial Planning Facility &
Senior
& Analysis Procurement
Supervisors x 2
Manager Manager
Commercial &
Compliance
Manager Role filled by a female
More broadly within the business the following
information is provided to illustrate the total number Southern Region
of females in the workforce as at 31/07/2021: 210 of
1681
12%
Ventura Diversity as at July
2021
88%
12%
Female Male
88%
Pennisula Region
Female Male
18%
Head Office
82%
41% Female Male
59%
Northern Region
Female Male
9%
Rail/Charter
91%
7%
Female Male
93%
Eastern Region
Female Male 9%
91%
Female Male
Strategic Priority Areas
With an extensive array of supporting policies and training in place, and Board level commitment to improve the
gender balance within the business, Ventura has set a clear target to grow from 12.49% (July 2021) women in the
workforce to 25% by 2024.
Ventura will continue to extend the type and range of programs to be implemented to drive real improvements in
the options for women to join the business. We will align this work with that being undertaken by the Department of
Transport’s (DoT) Women in Transport (WiT) program and their strategy and action plan released in August 2021.
With the above in mind and having considered the strategic objectives that DoT has set out in their WiT strategy, we
have developed four key priorities and a set of actions that Ventura will take to deliver on the priority areas.
Ventura key priorities
1. Dismantling structural barriers through addressing change needed to facilities for frontline workers
2. Refining recruitment practices and inflexible working conditions to improve access to employment and retention
for women in the transport sector through eliminating attitudes and practices which discriminate
3. Clearly articulating the career opportunities available within Ventura and the broader transport industry
4. Closing the loop – mentoring, coaching, building retention and attraction programs
Progress to date
• WATW program has held 5 open days
• Currently there are 20 women in the pipeline through the WATW program and other recruitment drives
• Dollars invested $153,000.00 to date for MR license support for women applicants
• Introduction of ‘Lifestyle Rosters’ which allows for consideration of part-time and/or jobshare rosters for
specific routes and depots. These flexible rosters enable drivers to fit their role with us around caring
responsibilities or managing changing life circumstances.
• Programs / Partnerships signed up to include:
o Trades Women Australia (TWA) - Diversity project aimed at improving mental health and wellbeing by
increasing diversity and gender balance in the workplace.
o Career Revive (KPMG) - Program and initiative run by KPMG Career Revive team and supported by the
Federal Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business’ and sponsored by the
Department of Education, Skills and Employment. The purpose of the program is to support businesses
to remove barriers to female workforce participation and create opportunities for women to re-enter
the workforce and restart their careers.
o Jobs Victoria/WorkForce Australia – This program and initiative is funded by the Department of Social
Services with the aim of assisting employers to drive initiatives for disabled women and other priority
jobseeker groups to support employers to drive their disability initiatives and build disability confidence.
o HDF Corp – Partnership with HDF Corp provides ongoing and sustainable employment opportunities to
women, and other priority jobseeker groups, from Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island communities.
o WISE Employment & MatchWorks – Partnerships designed to provide ongoing and sustainable
employment opportunities to women and other priority jobseeker groups.
Actions
Priority 1: Dismantling structural barriers through addressing change needed to facilities for frontline workers
Timeframe
Action Measure
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Audit of Ventura depots to identify works needed to Number of depots audited 6 6
facilitate all genders able to access appropriate facilities Upgrades to facilities As required As required As required
Audit of on road facilities to ensure adequate facilities for Number of on road facilities audited As required As required As required
all genders Upgrades to on road facilities As required As required As required
Participation in WiT Mentoring Program Number of senior leaders participating as mentors 2 3
Office based employees participating as mentors/mentees 2 4
Number of Frontline employees participating as 1 2
mentors/mentees
Participation of nominated Ventura Employees in WiT Number of employees participating in one of the 5 working 2 3
working groups which align our Ventura Diversity groups established as a part of the WiT strategy
strategy to the WiT strategy
Priority 2: Refining recruitment practices and inflexible working conditions to improve access to employment and retention for women in the transport sector through
eliminating attitudes and practices which discriminate against women and people with gender diverse identities
Timeframe
Action Measure
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Review recruitment policies Recruitment policies for all roles within the business X
reviewed
Review and update recruitment policies on an annual basis X X
Establish partnerships with gender aligned organisations for targeted 12-month partnership agreements established 1 2 3
recruitment
Identify training needs to improve hiring managers understanding of x x
barriers and unconscious bias in hiring
Establish training programs & deliver training for all hiring managers x x
Update induction program for new managers to incorporate x x
Run ad campaign for WATW program Open days x 4 per year X X X
Launch social media campaigns targeted at recruiting women for all roles 2 campaigns 1 2 2
– ‘Why work in a bus company’ – use FAQs and ask for questions
Review existing partnerships to increase opportunities for employment x x x
Create and update FAQs for women Page on ventura.com.au website X X X
Updated post each social media campaign
Review standard recruitment advertising templates to appeal to a female Review and update recruitment advertising templates X X X
audience and increase the number of female applicants Monitor number of female applicants
Priority 3: Clearly articulating the career opportunities available within Ventura and the broader transport industry
Timeframe
Action Measure
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Promoting opportunities internally and externally 4 x per year LinkedIn updates against strategy & action 4 4 4
plan
Developing a communication plan to share the vision, x
strategy and action plan
Publicly promoting the benefits of gender diversity and x x x
aiming to be a recognised leader in having a sustainable
and inclusive culture
Regular surveys 6 monthly internal survey of female employees to identify 1 2 2
constraints and concerns regarding retention
6 monthly external surveys of issues and concerns faced by 1 2 2
people considering employment as a bus driver
Reporting internally and externally External reporting to WiT 6 monthly in accordance with the X X X
requirements of the WiT strategy and steering committee
commitment
Internal reporting at monthly Operations Management X X X
meetings providing a transparent review of gender %
across depots and regions by introducing a new slide to the
existing slide deck
Statistics on gender balance in depots displayed on screens X X X
across 12 depots
FAQs for women at Ventura Page on ventura,com.au website X
Priority 4: Closing the loop – mentoring, coaching, building retention and attraction programs
Timeframe
Action Measure
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Promoting opportunities internally and externally 4 x per year LinkedIn updates against strategy & action plan 4 4 4
Developing a communication plan to share the vision, strategy and x
action plan
Publicly promoting the benefits of gender diversity and aiming to be a x x x
recognised leader in having a sustainable and inclusive culture
Regular surveys 6 monthly internal survey of female employees to identify constraints 1 2 2
and concerns regarding retention
6 monthly external surveys of issues and concerns faced by people 1 2 2
considering employment as a bus driver
Reporting internally and externally External reporting to WiT 6 monthly in accordance with the X X X
requirements of the WiT strategy and steering committee commitment
Internal reporting at monthly Operations Management meetings X X X
providing a transparent review of gender % across depots and regions
by introducing a new slide to the existing slide deck
Statistics on gender balance in depots displayed on screens across 12 X X X
depots
Participation in WiT Mentoring Program Number of senior leaders participating as mentors 2 3
Office based employees participating as mentors/mentees 2 4
Number of Frontline employees participating as mentors/mentees 1 2
Participation of nominated Ventura Employees in WiT Number of employees participating in one of the 5 working groups 2 3
working groups which align our Ventura Diversity established as a part of the WiT strategy
strategy to the WiT strategy
