What would the creative sector look like without Diversity Arts Australia?
It’s a question worth sitting with.
Without Diversity Arts Australia, the landscape of arts, culture and screen in this country would be narrower, flatter, less alive to the communities that make it what it is. So much of the richness we take for granted, our stories, our leaders, our creative imagination, would be missing.
> Without Diversity Arts, where would the evidence come from?
We were the first to map who holds leadership in the arts, screen and creative sectors. Our Shifting the Balance research revealed the deep inequities in cultural representation, and we continue to track and publish this data in the upcoming Shifting the Balance 2.0 report.
This evidence matters. It informs policy, shapes decisions, and makes inequity visible.
Without Diversity Arts, what would the sector know about itself?
> Without Diversity Arts, how would organisations act?
Change needs more than good intentions. That’s why we created the Creative Equity Toolkit, a free online hub filled with case studies, strategies and templates. It is now used by organisations across Australia and internationally to turn aspiration into practice.
Through consultancy and training, we work with bodies large and small, helping them embed cultural equity and move from statements to action.
Without Diversity Arts, where would the sector turn for a cultural equity roadmap shaped by lived experience?
> Without Diversity Arts, how would emerging leaders and voices be supported?
Representation at the top matters. That’s why we built programs that change the face of leadership.
Our Shifting the Balance Leaders Program strengthens the careers of culturally and racially marginalised leaders, ensuring they not only enter the sector but thrive in it.
Our StoryCasters program mentors young citizen journalists, podcasters and storytellers, creating pathways into industries where their voices have too often been excluded.
And through initiatives like Ripple and Fair Play, we have mentored and trained hundreds of creatives to step into leadership roles.
Without Diversity Arts, how would these pathways be nurtured and sustained?
> Without Diversity Arts, who would amplify alternative futures?
Equity is not only about addressing gaps. It is also about imagination.
Our projects, like Stories from the Future, invite artists to imagine worlds where equity is embedded across society. Our Colour Cycle podcast and Creative Lives series tell the stories that push conversations forward.
We advocate loudly and persistently. We convene and contribute to critical conversations with governments, funders, philanthropists and communities. We help ensure equity stays on the agenda when it risks slipping from view.
Without Diversity Arts, who would lift these futures into the national conversation?
> Without Diversity Arts, what would we lose?
We would lose the evidence base that shows us where inequity lives.
We would lose the free, practical tools that help organisations change.
We would lose the leadership programs that open doors for future leaders.
We would lose a catalyst for imagining more equitable futures.
We would lose a powerful national voice, speaking for equity in the arts.
Without Diversity Arts, Australia’s stories would be incomplete.
> With Diversity Arts
With Diversity Arts, the creative sector can reflect the full richness of this country. With Diversity Arts, leadership becomes more representative, institutions more accountable, young creatives more supported, and our collective stories more truthful.
We do not just work for change. We are ambitious for it.
And this Giving Day, we invite you to imagine with us, not a sector without Diversity Arts, but one that is strengthened by it. One where cultural equity is not the exception, but the norm.
– Lena Nahlous, CEO and Executive Producer, Diversity Arts Australia