Community Guidelines and Core Values
Version 1 – 1 July 2024
Podcast Workers Australia collectively organises for fairer work in the podcast industry in Australia. In order to undertake this effort with clarity, we’ve established some core working principles and values to guide collective action and interpersonal relationships within our community.
Core values
1. We acknowledge that Podcast Workers Australia organises on stolen land, and pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of the places we work, rest and gather together. Sovereignty was never ceded, colonisation is ongoing, and we encourage our members to contribute financially to the self-determination of First Nations people if they are able to.
2. Workers rights are human rights; safer, better working conditions are inclusive, and increase the potential for a sustaining career. In our organising, we acknowledge that our knowledge is incomplete, but collectively commit to working against racism, xenophobia, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism and other forms of discrimination within our community and in our work together. We commit to addressing and eliminating these forms of discrimination where it may arise in our work outside PWA too.
3. All people who work on podcasts or radio programs in Australia or for Australian employers/clients – and who are interested in collectively organising for improved working conditions in this industry – are welcome to become members of Podcast Workers Australia. In doing so, they assent to working within our community guidelines and core values.
4. We are capacity-driven. We encourage members to make commitments and occasional financial contributions within their capacity, and will actively endeavour to account for members’ access needs or changing availability through our organisational structure and working processes. Members can pause their activity or commitments at any time; we request they communicate this to organisers as early and clearly as possible.
5. We are community-driven. We organise to increase connection, solidarity, collaboration and collective growth amongst our members and the wider community of podcast workers. We will pursue and create opportunities to improve skills, knowledge and creativity in our work, and to celebrate the achievements of our community.
Code of conduct
1. Podcast Workers Australia should be a place where members feel comfortable expressing thoughts and ideas. Trust and respect are important; conversations, debates and material shared within the group should be handled with discretion and deference to the privacy of individuals and the collective.
2. We request that members approach disagreement and difference with grace. Disagreement is inevitable and ideas are incomplete. Our members come from a wide variety of cultural, personal, social and professional backgrounds. If possible, active disputes should be resolved privately and directly.
3. We will not always represent the desires and ideas of all members at all times, but we take earnestly the challenge of equitable and transparent decision making and campaigning. Genuine debate and critique is valued and encouraged; harassment and abuse are not welcome.
4. Regard other members’ time as valuable, and use meetings efficiently in order to minimise the time and effort required to effectively advocate together. We’re all busy, and this helps to make participation in PWA as approachable as possible.
5. Defamatory, obscene, threatening, deceptive or discriminatory behaviour may result in immediate suspension or expulsion.
6. Conflicts of interest must be proactively and openly declared, and members must recuse themselves from campaigns or activities where their involvement may undermine the organising of other members. Conflicts of interests may include organising on an outside campaign with overlapping or conflicting concerns; or ownership or management within a company employing podcast workers, and to whom a PWA campaign applies.
Changes to this document must be approved by a supermajority of organisers. Then carried by a majority of responding members after every member has been contacted and given one week to vote.