Building on Success: Shifting the Balance 2.0
Help us bring Shifting the Balance 2.0 to life. Donate to our End Of Financial Year (EOFY) fundraiser by June 30 to make a lasting impact and be part of building a creative industry that reflects our lived experiences in society.
Building on the key insights and initiatives sparked by our 2019 Shifting the Balance 1.0 Report, we continue our call to action in 2024 to transform leadership diversity and equity within Australia’s arts and creative sectors.
In 2019, the launch of Diversity Arts Australia’s “Shifting the Balance 1.0” report unveiled stark disparities in CaLD (culturally and linguistically diverse) leadership across the arts and creative sectors. The results were astonishing. At the time of publication, just over half of the organisations surveyed had no CaLD representation amongst their board members, CEOs, award panels and/or executives.
But our report did more than just reveal statistics. It ignited change. Media attention soared, conversations sparked, and organisations embarked on journeys of self-reflection. From the “LeaderShift” program combating underrepresentation in performing arts leadership to the “Open Book” Publishing Internship program for First Nations and CaLD individuals, tangible progress emerged.
“Open Book was established to effect change in the Australian Publishing Industry and our success in finding program partners and funders is in no small part due to DARTS Shifting the Balance Report. Although we’ve made some progress, more is needed. New research and reporting is what’s required to keep the work going.”
Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson,
Treasurer, Open Book: Australian Publishing Industry Internship
Chief of Staff, Australian Publishers Association
“The need for the program was made abundantly clear from Shifting The Balance, which highlighted that 63% of performing arts organisations had no CALD leaders, and CALD people made up only 5% of all leaders. This research provided a strong foundation and call to action for TNA to develop LeaderShift, which responds directly to Recommendations 4, 5 and 6 of the report.”
Josh Lowe, Co-CEO, Theatre Network Australia (TNA)
Our 2024 Vision
Despite the progress, we still have unfinished business.
The original Shifting the Balance report was just the beginning. We need your help to continue the journey with Shifting the Balance 2.0. This time, we’re going deeper. We’ll work closely with our First Nations partner Jumbunna to expand the dataset and include interviews with sector leaders to understand the underlying reasons for these disparities. And we’ll go beyond the CaLD/non-CaLD binary.
Unlike our first report, this phase is unfunded and relies on support from individuals like you. Your donations will power every stage of this transformative project, from research design to printing costs.
Your contribution isn’t just a donation; it’s an investment in change. Imagine this: a creative sector where the leadership reflects the reality of this country’s diverse communities, and where this diversity is reflected at every level of the sector.
Help us generate critical insights and pave the way for more equitable leadership in the creative sectors.
All donations are tax deductible!