AERO is committed to ensuring environmental, social and governance-related activities we undertake in our work are based on good practice and inform our decision-making processes.

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) was founded in 2021, with the vision of contributing to excellence and equity in educational outcomes for all Australian children and young people through effective use of evidence.

Undertaking this work, we bring a strong commitment to ensuring that our environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related activities are based on good practice and inform our decision-making processes. Our commitments play out in our work every day, as we visit our sustainable office spaces for hybrid work or meetings, engage with our stakeholders and celebrate important events such as NAIDOC week together.

We regularly take stock of our ESG efforts and review our priorities every 3 years along with our Strategic Plan.

Environment

AERO was established as a fully remote organisation. Working remotely can bring significant benefits in terms of reduced emissions. AERO seeks to mitigate our environmental impact by:

  • explicitly requiring staff to consider the goal of limiting our carbon footprint when planning and authorising travel and explore alternatives where possible
  • requiring consideration be given to environmental impact when procuring goods and services
  • operating as a ‘digital-first’ organisation, seeking to limit or eliminate packaging, other waste and transport emissions
  • selecting shared office spaces (for hybrid work and meetings) that commit to environmental initiatives. Our Sydney office is signatory to the City of Sydney single-use plastics pledge, includes organic waste recycling and provides sustainably sourced and produced toilet paper.

AERO will continue to investigate evidence-based mechanisms to further reduce or mitigate our environmental impact as appropriate for our remote operation.

Social

AERO plays a key role in the Australian education architecture. We have undertaken a significant amount of work in our first 3 years to support our commitment to excellence and equity in educational outcomes for Australian children and young people.

One clear example of this commitment is in the work we undertake to support excellence and equity for First Nations children and young people:

  • We provide personalised guidance for non-First Nations staff through one on one sessions with our First Nations Principal Advisor, who meets with every new employee as part of their induction to explains our principles and work with First Nations communities.
  • AERO has completed and delivered its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and, in complement, hosted engaging and well-attended events for staff during NAIDOC week.
  • Every staff meeting begins with an Acknowledgement of Country where a member of AERO’s team shares knowledge about the Country on which they live and how their work at AERO will benefit First Nations students.
  • AERO has developed a First Nations Expert Reference Group comprising over 200 members from more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Countries to provide us with comprehensive guidance on our work.
  • As members of Supply Nation, we are committed to procuring goods and services from First Nations businesses wherever possible.

As AERO continues to uphold its commitment to reconciliation and the empowerment of First Nations communities, we will implement new RAPs. We will also introduce a comprehensive First Nations Charter to embed First Nations perspectives, rights and knowledge systems into the fabric of AERO's operations and governance.

The charter is built on 4 key principles that influence every aspect of our work:

  • respecting First Nations knowledge systems
  • ensuring genuine inclusion and representation
  • upholding Indigenous Data Sovereignty
  • supporting self-determination and leadership.

Governance

AERO is committed to ongoing effective governance as an important objective in its own right. Meeting our obligations gives our stakeholders the trust and confidence we need to grow our impact.

We comply with a range of governance obligations:

  • We work closely with Education Ministers and senior officials to ensure the work detailed in our 3-year Strategic Plan and annual Research Agenda best supports educational outcomes across Australia.
  • Our Board of Directors provides independent expert advice, including review and approval of our annual Work Plan.
  • We meet our compliance obligations, including providing audited financial reports annually to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and to our Members.

We further support good governance by:

  • respecting and applying the principles of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property and developing guidance for our researchers on applying Indigenous Data Sovereignty where relevant
  • embedding First Nations-related considerations in our organisational policies and processes to support the representation and inclusion of First Nations people in our day-to-day work
  • embedding research governance and ethics in our day-to-day business, to align our work with legislative, national research standard and education authority requirements
  • recognising that our work will have its greatest impact if its intended users and beneficiaries are given a voice in the conduct of our work. We do this by establishing a range of mechanisms to foster active participation by stakeholders as partners. These mechanisms include project advisory groups, our Panel of Educators, Teachers and Leaders, our First Nations Expert Reference Groupand other groups that support AERO’s work.

AERO will continue to revise, experiment with and strengthen mechanisms to foster participation by partners in our work, while continuing to respond to evolving external requirements and ensure effective governance across this work.