SBS elevates the diversity of Australia across its commissioned programs, achieving ambitious equity and inclusion content targets
5 December, 2024
Media releases
SBS has shared key insights into how it has reflected under-represented communities and voices through its commissioned content, meeting or exceeding the commitments outlined in the SBS Commissioning Equity and Inclusion Guidelines (2021-2024) to improve inclusion in the screen sector.
SBS has today published an overview of its performance against the SBS Commissioning Equity and Inclusion Guidelines (2021-2024), reflecting a strategic uplift in diverse representation across its commissioned content slate over the past three years.
The inaugural guidelines were developed in consultation with industry and stakeholders. They set ambitious, nuanced and comprehensive multi-year targets across SBS's unscripted and scripted commissioned content, as part of its commitment to ensuring all Australians can see themselves and their communities in the stories told on screen. The focus was on increasing representation of people from five key under-represented groups: culturally and linguistically diverse, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people living with disability, LGBTQI+, and women - also recognising intersectionality.
With the conclusion of the initial three-year period and across the 62 programs, SBS and its production partners either met or exceeded targets set for on-screen, off-screen and career progression roles. The results show that SBS is closely reflecting the diversity of contemporary Australia, and in some cases exceeding population levels, while often being above industry levels. The results also highlight the continued work needed to improve representation of people living with disability across SBS's commissioned content where there remains a gap between SBS programs and the Australian population.
SBS Director of Television, Kathryn Fink, said: SBS is committed to ensuring all Australians see themselves - their communities, their cultures, their stories reflected on our screens. That's achieved not only through improving the representation we see in front of the camera, but importantly, in those who create and craft these stories. We're pleased to see the impact we have had in our content and within the sector through the delivery of the SBS Commissioning Equity and Inclusion Guidelines over the past few years.
We're grateful for the collaboration of our partners in the sector in sharing our commitment to ensuring that whoever you are, there are no barriers to prevent you from sharing your story and pursuing a career in this industry. The last three years also provide valuable data in setting the direction we need to take in the years ahead to drive ongoing change and deliver on our distinct purpose for all Australians.
Table: The Everyone Project data comparing representation for SBS commissioned programs, the broader TV and film industry, and the Australian population.
To track, analyse and report on progress against the targets - which included SBS providing yearly updates in its annual report SBS uses data collected through its participation in The Everyone Project (TEP), an industry-wide commitment to measure cast and crew diversity across registered Australian film and television productions, led by the Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network (SDIN) of which SBS is a founding member.
SBS also uses Scripted Target Reports which are completed by partner production companies for scripted programming. The results for SBS Scripted commissions also included achieving on-screen genre-specific targets, such as ensuring at least two people who identify as culturally and linguistically diverse and/or First Nations were cast as main characters in programs. Shows focused on a particular under-represented community had further off-screen targets met for ensuring representation from that community, as well as at least 50% women, hired in key writing, director/producer and production roles.
Head of Creative Diversity, TV and Online Content, Yana Groves, said: The SBS Commissioning Equity and Inclusion Guidelines set an important standard for our sector. This includes essential accountability for SBS to deliver on audience expectations as Australia's multicultural and First Nations broadcaster. SBS remains committed to leading the way for a more inclusive Australian film and TV sector, both on-screen and off-screen. This is a key component of fulfilling the SBS Charter, made possible through these Guidelines and other inclusion initiatives we invest in. SBS remains committed to providing meaningful career development opportunities for under-represented talent, to support more enriched, diverse storytelling for all Australian audiences.
I'd also like to acknowledge the work of my colleague Michelle Cheng, Head of Creative Diversity (on parental leave), who embarked on this important work over several years, developing and implementing SBS's first set of guidelines. She has also led the development of our next iteration, with our Diversity and Inclusion Project Officer, Isabelle Beaupr , to be launched in the new year. I'm proud to be overseeing this project, working with the SBS Commissioning team and our production partners, and I look forward to an exciting year ahead for Australian storytelling on SBS.
Next year, SBS will publish its second set of guidelines, to cover the period from 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2028. Until then, SBS is extending the existing targets to apply for a fourth year, from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.
The Guidelines were developed to complement the range of screen sector initiatives and career pathways SBS invests in, including the successful and long-running Diversity Talent Escalator, and Digital Originals delivered in partnership with N
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SBS elevates the diversity of Australia across its commissioned programs, achieving ambitious equity and inclusion content targets 
