Through the 'Our People Their Stories' series, Downer people are bravely sharing the experiences that shaped them and the lessons they have learnt which has led them to think, act and live differently.

This month we spoke to Georgie Millen, a Group Training Manager in the People & Culture team to learn about her story and the importance of National Week of Deaf People.

Downer acknowledges National Week of Deaf People held between 19 to 25 September. This week is a celebration of Deaf individuals and the Australian Deaf community. It is an opportunity for Deaf people to celebrate their communities, language, culture and history and to make the public aware of their local, state and national Deaf communities and to recognise Deaf peoples’ achievements.

As a sister to an older brother who is profoundly deaf, acknowledging the Deaf community is important to Georgie. 

“This year’s theme for National Week of Deaf People is ‘Building Inclusive Communities for All’. This theme invites us to think about what we can do to create an inclusive and accessible society for everyone.” 

Georgie knows firsthand that deafness has no barriers. 

She says: “It’s not about charity or pity. It’s about doing what is right to ensure that everyone in our community feels acknowledged, supported and respected. People living with a hearing impairment should have the ability to contribute equally and freely in our society.”

Georgie believes that everyone can support the creation of a more accessible and welcoming workplace. She says, “Our workforce should be as wonderfully diverse as our projects, industries and the communities we operate in. As a large employer we have a real opportunity to leverage our diversity as a competitive advantage. Different strengths, different skills and different perspectives all working together.” 

In 2015, Georgie commenced at Downer and joined the Group People & Culture team to establish an organisational change framework for Diversity & Inclusion. This role gave Georgie and her team scope to lay the foundation for what we know as Inclusion & Belonging at Downer today. Since joining Downer, Georgie has developed her skills and experience through business partnering roles within Group and Operations. She has worked on and delivered key initiatives around career development, engagement and diversity. Recently, Georgie returned to the Group People & Culture team to commence a Learning & Development role.

Image above: Georgie and her brother James

When asked why Inclusion & Belonging is important to her, Georgie said: “simply put – we are better, together.  I think the ‘belonging’ piece is so important. Belonging is something that employees should ‘feel’ because of our inclusion efforts. Without fostering a sense of belonging, we can’t leverage the benefits of inclusion in the long term – broader perspectives, diverse talent and greater innovation.”

Outside the office, Georgie lives in Victoria and loves to spend time with her extended family. She is a proud mum of two children – Emma (11) and Harry (8). 

When she isn’t busy chauffeuring the kids to sports or walking the family pet Ollie, a West Highland Terrier, the self-confessed oenophile and foodie likes to relax by cooking and spending time with family and friends.

“My happy place is being with my family and friends. 

Weather-permitting, we like to take the kids for a surf down the coast or URBNSURF at Tullamarine.”

When asked what she wanted people to take away from her story, Georgie said, “If we think about how it all ties in; quoting Liz Fosslien, diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard.” She added, “We all have a role to play in creating an inclusive workplace and ensuring people feel a sense of belonging. Small contributions can amount to significant change. For those reading this, I ask you - What is your contribution to Inclusion and Belonging at your workplace?”

Image above: Georgie, her partner Jimmy and their children Emma and Harry.

For more information on National Week of Deaf People visit the website here.