About

In 2015, as part of a suite of initiatives under the Queensland women’s strategy 2016–21, we set gender equity targets for Queensland Government bodies to be achieved by 2020:

• 50% of all new board appointees to Queensland Government bodies must be women, and
• 50% representation of women on the boards of Queensland Government bodies.

On 30 September 2019, we achieved both targets ahead of time. We continue to monitor board appointments to ensure 50% of all board appointees are women. This is one of the ways, as a government, we're leading the way in gender equality.

Effecting positive change across Queensland boards

It's clear that gender diversity on boards provides economic and social benefits for Queensland and we can't do this alone. The Queensland Government has shown what can be achieved with commitment and planning. The private and non-government sectors are also encouraged to lead the way and take action to drive positive change.

The resources on this site have been developed to help you achieve gender parity on boards.

There are 3 key roles with the capacity to effect positive change across Queensland boards:

• Key decision-makers: Individuals—such as government Ministers and departmental officers, CEOs and business/organisation managers—with the authority to advocate for, and make decisions that directly influence, the gender composition of the board.
• Board members: Board members with the authority to advocate for gender parity and to directly influence the climate of inclusion in the boardroom environment.
• Recruiters: Individuals who play a role in identifying potential board candidates or working directly with third party groups who do so.

Research

In 2015, we commissioned Deloitte to identify the key insights to build the case for change and inform the development of a range of activities aimed at increasing women's representation on government boards, and engaging with the private and not-for-profit sector to have the same impact. Read the Toward gender parity: Women on Boards initiative research report (PDF) or the research summary (PDF).

Key insights from the research

• Insight 1: Achieving board gender parity will increase productivity in Queensland by $87 million.
• Insight 2: High performing boards consist of both men and women, are committed to diversity, and are highly inclusive.
• Insight 3: Board commitment needs to remove barriers to result in concrete action.
• Insight 4: Courageous decision-makers who step up and actively challenge the status quo will be the drivers of change in Queensland.