Gender matters: women in the Australian screen industry

Who is telling Australian stories? And whose stories are being told? Are women adequately represented in key creative roles and positions of influence in the Australian screen industry? If not, why not, and what can we do about it?

On Monday 7 December 2015, Screen Australia announced a five-point, $5 million plan over three years for Gender Matters, a suite of initiatives that address the gender imbalance within the Australian screen industry.

Issues of gender bias have been approached in various ways by Screen Australia, our predecessor agencies, state agencies and industry guilds over the years. Despite this, the level of women’s participation in this industry continues to track along at the low percentages we saw in the 1970s. And a lot of us are asking why.

Find out more about Gender Matters: Brilliant Stories and Gender Matters: Brilliant Careers.

While these initiatives focus on women in the screen industry, Screen Australia recognises that other groups may also be under-represented in front of and behind the camera. In conjunction with the national broadcasters, it is working on a new study on cultural diversity in TV drama, which it expects to release in 2016.

Download the full report