Australia's New Directive: Gender Equity in Sports Governance

The Australian government has issued a directive requiring national and state sporting bodies to achieve a gender-balanced board by mid-2027. The National Gender Equity in Sport Governance Policy mandates that 50% of board chairs and sub-committees be women. Non-compliance will result in the loss of public funding.

The Australian government has introduced a new directive mandating that national and state sporting bodies must have a 50-50 gender split on their boards by mid-2027 or risk losing public funding. The National Gender Equity in Sport Governance Policy also stipulates that half of board chairs and sub-committees be women by July 1, 2027.

“Despite almost equal sport participation rates between men and women, women are still underrepresented in governance and leadership positions across the Australian sport sector,” the government stated. “Each jurisdiction will implement its own mechanisms to achieve these targets and timeframes, with non-compliant national organisations facing withdrawal of government funding.”

According to the statement, 62% of sporting bodies already meet the required standard of gender diversity, though only 25% of boards have women as chairs. “We need more women making decisions for more women. Our sporting systems are not equal, and this policy aims to address the gender imbalances in sports leadership,” said Sports Minister Anika Wells. The policy counts gender-diverse board members and chairs as women for the purpose of compliance.

(With inputs from agencies.)