Tier Recognition

Bronze Tier Status

The Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) follows a 3-yearly cycle of local index review and international benchmarking. Upon review, new criteria are set with the intention of advancing LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion practice within Australia and aligning it with any new work being done internationally to ensure that Australian organisations continue to meet global standards of best practice.  Within each new iteration, there is an expectation that entry points into the respective tiers will change, and overall scores decrease.  This is a pattern we see with the release of every new iteration.  It is important that the expectations of submitting organisations take this into account when aiming for a particular tier within a new iteration.  It is important to note that the journey to maintain leading practice is not a 6-month journey; it’s a 3-year journey.

It is also important to note that for the fifth iteration, the methodology of determining recognition for Bronze, Silver and Gold tier entry levels has changed. Entry points to each of these tiers in previous iterations have been determined by ranking the scores of all participating organisations and calculating the top consecutive percentages. This meant that, as practices improved or shifted, the entry points would change from year to year.

Starting with the 5^th iteration of the AWEI, we will be introducing fixed entry points for each of the tiers making it easier to estimate, realistically, where your tier recognition may fall.

To achieve Bronze Tier Status within the AWEI Foundation Submission, participating organisations must obtain 80% of allocated points.

• For Standard Employers (501 or more employees), this is 64 points out of 80 points.
• For Small Employers (500 or less employees), this is 40 points out of 50 points.

Once this is achieved, organisations are eligible to submit an AWEI Advanced Submission in effort to obtain Silver, Gold or Platinum Tier Status within this benchmark. These winners are announced at the annual Australian LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards in May.

*Organisations are listed alphabetically; and achievements will continue to be announced throughout the year.
*Organisations noted below have fast-tracked their Foundation Submission in the current 2025 – 2026 AWEI Submission year.

To view organisations who obtained Bronze Tier (or higher!) in the past AWEI Submission years, head to our Past Winners page.

Current Bronze Tier Employers

Standard Employers (501 employees or greater)

• To view organisations who obtained Bronze Tier (or higher!) in the past AWEI Submission years, head to our Past Winners page.

Small Employers (500 employees of less)

• To view organisations who obtained Bronze Tier (or higher!) in the past AWEI Submission years, head to our Past Winners page.

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Silver Tier Recognition

This tier is obtained on an annual basis, based on work completed within the Advanced Submission.

Silver Tier is difficult to obtain and quite often, the difference between the scores for Silver and Gold tier is minimal. Employers receiving Silver Tier are considered to have been highly active in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, and continue to progress their efforts within criteria of the national benchmark.

To view organisations who obtained Silver Tier, please head to our Past Winners page.

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Gold Tier Recognition

This tier is obtained on an annual basis, based on work completed within the Advanced Submission.

Gold Tier recognition is the highest recognition obtainable for a current submission year, outside of the longevity of Platinum Tier status. Gold Tier employers have completed a significant amount of ‘Foundation’ level work and have progressed to submitting against ‘Advanced’ criteria. In doing so, they have obtained the highest AWEI Submission scores within the current submission year.

Gold Tier is an outstanding achievement and organisations that obtain this recognition should be applauded for their level of activity over the assessed year.

To view organisations who obtained Gold Tier, please head to our Past Winners page.

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Platinum Status

Annual Platinum status is the highest obtainable recognition within the AWEI. It acknowledges the highest levels of performance within the AWEI over a sustained period of time. Employers qualify for Platinum recognition by achieving AWEI Gold Tier for four out of the last 5 successive years, or by being awarded Employer of the Year twice within that period.

Once an employer qualifies for Platinum Employer recognition, they may choose to maintain their Platinum status by continuing the AWEI Submission process indefinitely, or they may opt to shift their focus to a workplace Platinum Project.

Organisations may alternate between workplace projects and AWEI Submissions, and a full Submission (both Foundation and Advanced) must be completed at least once every 3-year iteration where Gold Tier Status is obtained.

Current and continued Platinum Employers

• AGL Energy
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
• Australian Taxation Office
• Capgemini
• Clayton Utz
• Clifford Chance (Small Employer)
• Coles Group
• CSIRO
• Deloitte
• Deutsche Bank (Small Employer)
• DLA Piper
• EY Oceania
• Fujitsu Australia
• KPMG Australia
• Macquarie Group
• Macquarie University
• MinterEllison
• NAB
• nbn co
• PwC
• Queensland Department of Education
• QBE Insurance
• RMIT University
• Russell Kennedy Lawyers (Small Employer)
• Scentre Group
• Services Australia
• Special Broadcasting Service (SBS)
• The Star Entertainment Group
• The University of Queensland
• The University of Sydney
• UNSW Sydney

Historical Platinum Employers

• Accenture
• ANZ
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia
• Goldman Sachs
• Lendlease
• The University of Western Australia
• Westpac
• Woolworths Group

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What is a Platinum Project?

Discover what our Platinum Projects are all about and explore both current initiatives and the impactful projects that have earned Platinum recognition in the past.

How can organisations achieve Platinum Tier Recognition?

In order to obtain this prestige recognition, organisations must obtain be acknowledged as those whose commitment to LGBTQ workplace inclusion is for the long-term. This can be achieved by:

• obtaining Gold Tier Status within the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) for four out of the last five years of submissions; or
• by winning Employer of the Year twice within the same five-year period

How can organisations maintain Platinum Tier Recognition?

Platinum status is ongoing across different iterations of the AWEI, as long as organisations achieve the criteria to maintain it.

Maintaining this status includes:

• if continuing to submit an Index, Gold Tier Status is obtained for four out of the last five years of submissions;
• after completing a Platinum Project cycle, an Index is submitted the following year
• if taking a voluntary year off from Index submissions and opting not to do a Platinum Project, an Index must be submitted the following year

While an organisation is in a Platinum Project cycle, they are not required to also complete an AWEI submission. However, a full Index Submission (including the Foundation and Advanced) must be completed at least once in every 3-year iteration with Gold Tier obtained.