Australian Sports Commission
The ASC has committed to the Australian sporting sector achieving gender equity (50% women and/or gender diverse people in key non-executive governance positions) by no later than 1st July 2027. The mechanism by which the ASC will achieve this is a 50/50 model, meaning that all NSO/Ds must have:
- 50% of all board directors are women and/or gender diverse
- A woman or gender diverse person as either the organisation's Chair or Deputy Chair
- 50% of all members of both the Nominations Committee and the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee (or equivalents) are women and/or gender diverse
The relevant timelines for funded and unfunded NSO/Ds to meet these targets are specified below.
Guiding Principles
Principles have been adopted to guide organisations as they move towards gender equity in governance and interact directly with the Implementation Timelines and Non-Compliance Measures.
- The ASC will provide a suite of resources and support to assist NSO/Ds to achieve the targets by the relevant timeframes.
- Any NSO/D funding loss will be taken from all recurrent funding streams, including participation growth and high-performance funding (as applicable)
- Any NSO/D funding loss will be re-invested into gender equity programs, and/or initiatives, directly supporting the talent pipeline of women in governance and leadership roles
- Funding tied to individual athletes will not be impacted
- An NSO/Ds recognition status will not be impacted as a result of Policy non-compliance
Implementation Timelines
Recommended adjusted implementation timelines.
Year 1 31 May 2024 | Year 2 31 May 2025 | Year 3 31 May 2026 | Year 4 31 May 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Funded NSO/Ds | ||||
Chair | - | - | - | ✓ |
Board | - | - | ✓ | ✓ |
Sub-Committees | - | - | ✓ (All Tiers) | ✓ (All Tiers) |
Unfunded NSO/Ds | ||||
Chair | - | - | - | ✓ |
Board | - | - | - | ✓ |
Sub-Committees | - | - | - | ✓ |
Non-Compliance Measures
The Policy applies to all recognised NSO/Ds, and the non-compliance measures apply to all ASC funding and ASC funded programs.
Any non-compliance measures will come into effect for the following financial year, unless the organisation has remedied the non-compliance prior to the commencement of that financial year. (For example, a NSO/D does not meet the targets by May 2026 (non-compliant), the corresponding measures would come into effect on 1 July 2026 unless it is compliant by 30 June 2026.)
The model for non-compliance measures is detailed below:
Any year non-compliant | |
|---|---|
Funded NSO/Ds | |
Recurrent funding (eg Participation Growth Funding and High Performance) | 50% reduction |
Non-recurrent funding (eg WLIS Organisation Grants, National Integrity Capability Enhancement, NSO Infrastructure Grants, etc) | Not eligible |
ASC Programs (eg Sporting Schools) | NSO is removed from the endorsed provider list |
Unfunded NSO/Ds | |
Non-recurrent funding | Not eligible |
ASC Programs | Not eligible |
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding the National Gender Equity in Sports Governance Policy and its application to your national sporting organisation, please contact sportsgovernance@ausport.gov.au
