Victorian ministers back national sports governance policy

Victorian Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence and Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos, have endorsed the new National Gender Equity in Sports Governance Policy announced by the Federal Government earlier this month.

The policy requires all national and state-level sports bodies boards’ to be a minimum of 50% women and/or gender diverse by July 2027 while the same ratio will also be mandatory for board chairs and key board sub-committee members.

The Victorian ministers’ endorsement reflects the state’s own Balance the Board policy, which since 2019 has required a minimum of 40% representation of women on boards of state sport and recreation organisations in order to be eligible for key funding programs.

Advising that this is another positive step towards gender equity in sport across Australia, Minister Dimopoulos stated “we remain steadfast in breaking down barriers for women and girls in sport - giving everyone the opportunity to thrive and succeed.”

Noting that diversity within an organisation’s senior roles provides a more complete mix of skills, perspectives and experiences, more often resulting in better decision-making and improved performance, Federal Minister for Aged Care and Sport, Anika Wells added “I strongly encourage all organisations that operate within the Australian sporting environment to embrace this policy and implement the game-changing gender targets we need.”

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