The National Gender Equity in Sports Governance Policy will improve gender representation in the governance of Australian sport through national and state sporting associations.
A collaboration between federal, state, and territory governments, it will increase gender representation across boardrooms of national and state sporting organisations Australia-wide. It builds on Victoria Government's Balance the Board Policy, which has been in place since 2019.
The National Gender Equity in Sports Governance Policy covers:
Each government has the flexibility to determine its own approach and timeline.
The Victorian Government will maintain its existing approach of a minimum 40% representation of women directors on boards. State sporting organisations in Victoria are already required to reach this target to be eligible for key government funding programs.
It will be expanded to include 2 new requirements, in line with the National Policy:
The 40% requirement for women directors on boards is already in place, through Balance the Board.
From 1 July 2027, state sport and active recreation organisations will be required to comply with the new requirements on board leadership and key sub-committees to remain eligible to apply for key community sporting funding programs from the Victorian Government.
Victorian sport and active recreation organisations will need to provide information via the quarterly Balance the Board survey.
The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation will continue to work with the Australian Sports Commission to ensure any reporting expectations are efficient.
View more information on the Australian Sports Commission's website.
Since 2019, the Victorian Government has required recognised state sporting organisations to have a minimum of 40% women directors to be eligible for key funding programs. This approach to gender balance on boards remains unchanged, as each government has the flexibility to determine its own approach and timeline to embedding the new national policy.
The policy does include requirements that will be new in Victoria. These are:
Victorian recognised state sporting organisations are already required to have a minimum of 40% women on boards to be eligible for key government funding programs. This remains unchanged.
From 1 July 2027, state sport and active recreation organisations will need to comply with the new requirements on board leadership and key sub-committees to remain eligible to apply for key community sporting funding programs from the Victorian Government.
No. This myth has long been disproven.
Board quotas support overcoming systemic and structural barriers that have historically prevented all Victorians equal access to board opportunities.
Research by Deakin University also confirmed the positive effects of gender balanced boards, such as enhanced decision making for organisations and better experiences for women directors. Learn more in our related links below.
All organisations that operate within the Victorian sporting environment, including community clubs, are strongly encouraged to adopt this policy and work to implement the gender targets, even though they may not be explicitly included within the scope of this policy.
All organisations that operate within the Victorian sporting environment, including professional clubs and leagues, are strongly encouraged to adopt this policy and work to implement the gender targets.
Each government has the flexibility to determine its own approach and timeline.
The Victorian Government will maintain the requirement for Victorian state sport and active recreation organisation to reach a minimum 40% representation of women directors on boards to be eligible for key government funding programs. It will be expanded from 1 July 2027 to include 2 new requirements in line with the National Policy:
Victorian recognised sport and active recreation organisations equivalent to a Tier 1 and 2 organisation as defined by the Australian Sports Commission will need to comply with this new requirement.
Victorian sport organisations that meet this definition have been notified. If you require further information, please contact ChangeOurGame@sport.vic.gov.au.
The new sub-committee requirement will only apply to organisations when a board has both a chair and deputy chair.
A national sporting organisation is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission as the pre-eminent body for the development of a specific sport in Australia. National sporting organisations are eligible to receive funding from the Australian Sports Commission. View the Australian Sports Directory for a list of recognised national sporting organisations. For example, in the sport of basketball, its national sporting organisation is Basketball Australia.
State sporting associations, sometimes also called state sporting organisations, are the recognised pre-eminent governing body for a sport in a particular state Victoria. These organisations are responsible for developing a specific sport from community participation to high performance levels in a jurisdiction. In Victoria, the Victorian Government determines the eligibility for recognition. View the list of all recognised state sporting associations in Victoria. For example, in the sport of basketball, its state sporting association in Victoria is Basketball Victoria.
A professional league, for the purposes of the new National Policy, is a privately owned competition outside of those leagues managed from within a national sporting organisation or state sporting association. Most leagues that we see and enjoy are managed within a national sporting organisations. At times though, this ownership structure is different, which is why the National Policy also specifies that these privately owned leagues are strongly encouraged to also follow the policy’s requirements. Privately owned leagues are not eligible to receive funding from the Australian Sports Commission. For example, in the sport of basketball, the National Basketball League (NBL) is privately owned, and would be considered a professional league under the National Policy.
Page last updated: 17 March 2025
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