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The Australian Government has announced that national and state-level sporting organisations across Australia must have an equal split of men and women on their boards from 2027 or risk having their funding withheld.

The National Gender Equity in Sports Governance Policy, launched by the Federal Government yesterday, aims to address the chronic under-representation of women across governance and leadership positions in Australian sport by creating a financial incentive for organisations to make their boards more equal.

The national policy is the first of its kind in Australia and is a collaboration between the Federal Government, Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the State and Territory Agencies for Sport and Recreation.

Despite almost equal sport participation rates between men and women, women are still underrepresented in governance and leadership positions across the Australian sport sector.

Australian Sports Commission Chair, Kate Jenkins advised “as someone who has worked in the gender equity and inclusion space for decades, today’s announcement is an important forward step for the sport sector. I’m optimistic about the positive impact this policy will have for sport at all levels.

“While this policy focuses on gender equity, it sets a framework to improve representation of all elements of diversity including age, cultural background and disability in the longer term.

“A range of resources, practical tools and programs will be made available to organisations to support them to meet these targets and navigate the challenges that may arise with substantial change like this.”

Central to the policy is Gender Equity Targets that have been set for the governance of national and state level sport bodies.

This will require the Australian sport sector to reach the following standards by 1st July 2027:

• 50% of all board directors are women and/or gender diverse
• 50% of board chairs are women and/or gender diverse
• 50% of specified board sub-committee members are women and/or gender diverse.

Each jurisdiction will adopt its own mechanisms to reach the targets and timeframes, with Government funding to be withheld from national organisations that do not comply.

Currently, 62% of funded national organisations reach the required standard of gender diversity in board directors, while only 25% of national sporting organisations and national sporting organisations for people with disability are chaired by a woman.

Organisations will be required to report annually through the Sports Governance Standards self-assessment on their status against Gender Equity Targets and their systems that ensure gender equity.

The ASC worked closely with all of the State and Territory Agencies of Sport and Recreation (STASRs) to co-design the policy.

ASC Chief Executive Kieren Perkins said the governance standards that make up this policy are crucial for the long term success of Australian sport, noting “as someone who has been fortunate to be involved in sport across four decades, it’s disappointing that in many respects, sport looks the same today as it did 20 years ago.

“This groundbreaking policy is the change required to continue to drive the sport sector forward as we build towards Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

“I’d like to thank the Australian Government and all the states and territories for their leadership on this important issue and I look forward to working closely with the sector to ensure the policy is implemented smoothly.”

A stakeholder focus group was formed to provide feedback on the policy including representation from STASRs, Sports Federations, Games Partners, National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) and State Sporting Organisations (SSOs).

Non-compliance measures apply to all recognised National Sporting Organisations and National Sporting Organisations for people with Disability.

The Policy does not apply to Community Clubs and Associations or to Professional Clubs and Leagues, although the government encourages them to voluntarily adopt the policy.

Federal Minister for Sport, Anika Wells (pictured) added “we need more women making decisions for more women. Our sporting systems are not equal and this policy will help address the gender imbalances prevalent in sports leadership.

“Diversity within an organisation’s senior roles provides a more complete mix of skills, perspectives and experiences, resulting in better decision-making and improved performance.

“The incredible results by our women in Paris and the success of teams like the Diamonds, Matildas, Stingers and Southern Stars has seen a surge in female participation but we still do not have an appropriate balance of senior leadership.

“I strongly encourage all organisations that operate within the Australian sporting environment to embrace this policy and implement the game-changing gender targets we need.”

Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher added “For too long, women have not been represented in leadership and decision-making roles across a range of sports. The Albanese Government is committed to driving change and improving the representation of women in these important governance roles.

“In Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality the Government committed to driving gender equality by improving leadership, representation, and decision-making. Initiatives like the Gender Equity in Sport Policy are important to drive this structural change and improve representation of women.

“This is not just good for women but will help ensure sport is more accessible and equal for all Australians.”

Image. Federal Sport Minister Anika Wells announced the new gender equity policy on Monday 9th September.

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