Women now hold a record high of 54 per cent of positions across Australian government boards and bodies, new data shows.
The figure, released in the latest report on gender balance within government boards, is reported as of June 2024 and has risen by 2.8 per cent since 2023.
The report shows women have filled 1,190 of 2,187 board positions across 347 Australian government boards and bodies. This is the highest representation we’ve seen of women in overall government board positions since reporting began in 2009. Back then, women held just 33.4 per cent of positions.
And while women hold the majority of overall board positions, there’s been a slight drop in women’s representation on individual government boards. In 2023-24, 21.6 per cent of boards had less than 40 per cent of women in board positions. This compares with 21.3 per cent in 2022-23.
Meanwhile, just over 27 per cent of government boards have more than 60 per cent representation of women.
When it comes to chair and deputy chair positions, women now hold just over 45 per cent of positions, an increase of 3 per cent on the previous year.
Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher, said the figures set an example for both the public and private sector.
“Who sits around the table matters. When decision making and advisory bodies represent the community, they deliver better outcomes for everyone,” she said.
If we look at portfolios across the federal government, 11 out of 17 portfolios met (or exceeded) 50 per cent representation of women on their boards, up from 10 portfolios the year before.
For the next reporting period, the federal government will aim for women to hold 50 per cent of positions across all portfolios and for women to hold 50 per cent of chair and deputy chair positions on boards at the portfolio level.
Currently, women hold chair and deputy chair positions in 7 out of 17 portfolios.
The government will also expand its reporting scope in 2024-25, including figures that take in ex-officio and external appointments to boards, compared to only government appointed positions which are currently reported.