Building on the first report published in 2021, Towards Equity 2 moves beyond documenting existing conditions to establish a consistent framework for tracking change over time and measuring progress against broader national indicators.
The report is data-driven and fulfils the organisation’s statutory research role under the Revive Policy and the Creative Australia Act 2023. Using transparent, evidence-based methods, it provides an overview and assessment of participation and access across the arts to understand how the organisation is performing against its statutory functions.
Together, the two reports form part of a long-term commitment to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement in equity and diversity. The series supports stronger data collection and reporting and contributes to a more consistent approach to measuring diversity across the arts and cultural sector.
A consistent framework for tracking change
A key focus of this report is the introduction of a structure of a framework for regular diversity reporting. This will enable Creative Australia to track trends, identify gaps and inform strategic decision-making.
The report assesses diversity performance across four core organisational areas:
- Leadership diversity within organisations receiving multi-year investment
- Diversity of peer assessors involved in assessing investment proposals
- Diversity of recipients across grants and other funding initiatives
- Diversity within the organisation’s workforce.
These report tracks change since the first report in 2021 and will continue to be monitored in future reporting. Progress is assessed against national comparators where available, as well as against findings from earlier reports in the series.
Communities of focus
The report maintains a strong focus on communities that have historically faced barriers to participation and leadership in the arts:
- First Nations people
- People from culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- d/Deaf and disabled people
- Women
- People living in regional and remote communities
- Children and young people
- LGBTIQ+ people
- This approach recognises that equity is not achieved through a single measure, but through sustained attention to how different groups experience access, opportunity and representation across the system.
Key findings
Overall, the report shows that diversity measures have improved across most areas since 2021:
- Leadership representation among multi-year investment organisations has increased across all communities of focus, indicating progress in governance and senior decision-making roles.
- Peer assessment continues to be a strength, with panels demonstrating strong diversity across multiple dimensions and supporting fairer, more inclusive investment decisions.
- The report also shows progress in the diversity of project investment since 2021, with funding reaching a broader range of artists, organisations and initiatives.
- The data highlights where further effort is needed -including a continued focus on disability, regional communities, and children and young people.
National context and lived experience.
National datasets are included to provide broader context, covering diversity among practising artists and cultural production workers, as well as attendance and creative participation across Australia. This situates organisational performance within wider sector trends and highlights areas where systemic barriers are documented.
Qualitative spotlights complement the data, including insights from First Nations and d/Deaf and disabled artists and leaders. These perspectives add depth to the findings and illustrate how policies and investment decisions translate into lived experience.
Looking ahead
The improvements identified in this report reflect sustained commitment, strategic initiatives and a growing shared responsibility for equity and diversity across the organisation and sector. At the same time, the work is ongoing.
By committing to regular, transparent reporting, the organisation aims to support long-term change, strengthen sector-wide practice, and ensure progress toward equity and diversity remains visible, measurable and accountable. Future reporting will continue to track change, highlight emerging issues and support better outcomes for artists, cultural workers and communities across Australia.
Download the Easy Read version of the report.
