Dr Louise Merrington AE is the chair of IPEd’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Party. She shares updates on the working party’s efforts since its establishment in November 2024.
By Dr Louise Merrington AE, Chair
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Party (DEIWP) was formally established in November 2024 to provide the IPEd Board, members and staff with insights into and awareness of relevant issues around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
The DEIWP’s aims are:
- to support editors from minority groups or under-represented backgrounds
- to embed DEI principles into IPEd’s work
- to promote DEI principles in the industries in which editors work.
Many of our members come from minority or under-represented groups and include First Nations editors, editors of colour, disabled and/or neurodivergent editors, and LGBTQIA+ editors, as well as allies. We have members from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Since the beginning of 2025, we’ve focused on building a functional and sustainable governance structure, as well as undertaking practical work both within and outside IPEd.
Structure
The DEIWP has 8 work streams, each led by different working party members. Most have lived and/or professional experience in the area they lead. This structure allows us to spread the work evenly across the working party, while allowing members to work to their strengths and interests. All members work together, as many of these streams intersect, but stream leads have the flexibility to use their own experience to set goals and tasks for their stream.
The work streams and leaders are:
- Governance, policy and strategy – Dr Louise Merrington AE, Justine Dixon Cooper AE
- International engagement – Dr Louise Merrington AE
- Events, professional development, networking and mentoring – Thirangie Jayatilake
- Industry engagement – Thirangie Jayatilake
- Resources and communications – Deb Wain AE, Tanja Gardner
- Accessibility and inclusion – Chloe Cran, Sarah Dickinson
- First Nations, Māori and people of colour – Danika Davis, Anne Hardman
- LGBTQIA+ – Tanja Gardner, Deb Wain AE
Activities
In the 8 months since its establishment, the DEIWP has been active across a range of areas:
Within IPEd
- Advised the IPEd Mentoring Committee on developing a DEI-focused mentorship
- Provided feedback regarding style guidance on single versus double quote marks for accessibility
- Liaised with the IPEd Conference Committee over conference accessibility
- Developed and presented a DEI panel discussion at the 2025 IPEd Conference in Adelaide with Dr Eugen Bacon, Dr Camille Nurka and Tanja Gardner, moderated by Dr Louise Merrington AE
Industry engagement
- Joined the Copyright Agency Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Forum, to discuss RAP progress with publishing agency representatives
- Met with Australian Publishers Association (APA) DEI representatives to discuss DEI initiatives in the publishing industry
International engagement
- Held first DEI in Editing International Roundtable meeting with Editors Canada and the Northwest Editors Guild (US)
In addition, DEIWP member Thirangie Jayatilake was selected to be part of IPEd’s inaugural Emerging Leaders Program in recognition of her work with the DEIWP and Editors Victoria.
Future goals
The DEIWP has a set of ambitious goals going into 2026. Our first aim is to develop networking events for editors from minority or under-represented backgrounds, including for editors of colour, editors with disability or neurodivergence, LGBTQIA+ editors, and male editors (who are a minority within IPEd).
We also plan to establish DEI resources for IPEd members, as well as guidance for branches and committees on creating accessible events.
We will continue to participate in industry and international engagement, including regular meetings of the Copyright Agency RAP Forum, the APA DEI committee and the International Roundtable.
Longer term, we would like to establish an equity fellowship, similar to that run by Editors Canada, and to expand the International Roundtable.
Contacting the DEIWP
If you’re interested in joining the DEIWP or would like to discuss our work, please email Lou Merrington on dei-chair@iped-editors.org.