Minister for Women, Minister for Foreign Affairs
The Morrison Government has welcomed the latest Gender Balance on Government Boards figures, which show that for the first time, more than half of Australian Government board positions are held by women.
Women now hold a record 50.2 per cent of Australian Government board positions, the highest overall result since targets were announced in 2016. It is an 8.5 percentage point increase from 30 June 2013, when women held only 41.7 per cent of Australian Government board positions.
The December 2021 figures show that 53.9 per cent of new appointments made between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2021 were made up of women.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, said the achievement represents a longstanding commitment from the Government to create gender equality on boards.
“We have moved into 2022 with this strong achievement, and I am proud to see women fill more Government board positions than ever before,” Minister Payne said.
“In 2016, the Government set a target of women holding 50 per cent of Australian Government board positions, and we have now surpassed that.”
“We all have a responsibility to address gender imbalances in Australia to create real change and genuine advances for women and girls.”
The Government is also focused on boosting the number of women occupying Chair and Deputy Chair positions on Government Boards. As at 31 December 2021, women held a record 40.0 per cent of Chair and Deputy Chair positions.
The Government is committed to supporting more women into leadership positions in the public and private sectors, including leading by example through its gender balance targets for Australian Government board positions.
