On Tuesday, the Australian government unveiled a new directive mandating that national and state sporting bodies achieve a 50-50 gender split on their boards by mid-2027, with the risk of losing public funding for non-compliance.
The National Gender Equity in Sport Governance Policy also stipulates that by July 1, 2027, half of all board chairs and sub-committee members must be women.
The government noted that despite nearly equal sports participation rates between men and women, women remain underrepresented in governance and leadership roles within the Australian sports sector.
Each jurisdiction will implement its own strategies to meet these targets, with funding withheld from national organizations that fail to comply.
Currently, 62% of sporting bodies meet the required gender diversity standards, but only 25% of boards have women as chairs. Sports Minister Anika Wells emphasized the need for increased female representation in decision-making roles to address existing gender imbalances and enhance decision-making and performance.
Under the directive, gender-diverse board members and chairs will be counted as women for the purpose of meeting the policy requirements.
