Slow progress made for diverse characters in scripted drama

Levels of Diversity in Drama have improved across First Nations, LGBTIQ+ and non-European people according to a new report by Screen Australia.

However, while numbers have also improved for disabled people on screen, representation remains critically low compared to the Australian population.

Just 3.9% of actors receiving main roles publicly identify as disabled. Seven in ten titles feature no main characters who are disabled.

Seeing Ourselves 2: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Australian TV Drama examined the diversity of main characters in 361 scripted Australian TV and online dramas (including YouTube, Facebook, IGTV, TikTok) between 2016 and 2021, and how this compares to the Australian population.

Characters were analysed by cultural background, disability, gender, sexual orientation, occupational status and two new variables: age and location, as well as how these different aspects of diversity intersect.

The report found the following increases:

Non-European people (16% from 6.9%)
LGBTIQ+ people (7.4% from 4.5%)
First Nations people (7.2% from 4.8%)
Disabled people (6.6% from 3.6%)

There is a strong and growing level of First Nations representation on screen. However, First Nations main characters are more concentrated in fewer titles than characters from other groups. Among First Nations main characters, there are lower rates of LGBTIQ+ and disability representation than among main characters overall.

The overall rate of LGBTIQ+ representation has also improved but is still significantly below the population benchmark. Almost seven in ten titles have no LGBTIQ+ main characters, and almost half of the titles that feature LGBTIQ+ main characters feature just one. 4.8% of actors cast in main roles publicly identify as LGBTIQ+ including four trans men, three trans women and ten non‑binary actors. Nearly all trans or gender diverse main characters are played by actors who publicly identify as trans or gender diverse.

One in four TV dramas feature all Anglo‑Celtic main characters, which remarkably an improvement from around one in three in a previous study.

The report also found an under‑representation of people aged under 12 or 60 and over, and people in regional
areas. There is a bias in Australian TV drama towards centring stories on characters aged 18–44, and living in capital cities. There is also a bias towards socioeconomic advantage on our screens, particularly among Anglo‑Celtic and European main characters. While nearly all groups are represented at all occupation skill levels, First Nations, non‑European and disabled characters are less likely to be represented in higher skill level occupations.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke said, “Australian drama on screen is compelling and powerful. It’s a cornerstone of how Australians see themselves, learn about each other and how the world comes to know us. It shouldn’t be too much to ask that when you watch Australian screen, it looks like modern Australia.”

Screen Australia’s CEO, Graeme Mason said, “It’s vital that Australian screen stories authentically reflect the diversity of our nation, and we know that the screen industry is becoming more aware of the cultural and commercial value of creating diverse content. It’s great to see improvements since 2016, however these results show that the overall pace of progress is slow and there is a long way to go to reach genuine representation of Australia’s diverse communities on screen.

“Authenticity and inclusivity are a core consideration in all of our work at Screen Australia, and are why we invested in this new Seeing Ourselves report. This research serves to shine a light on the current landscape, and we hope it will inform, educate and influence decision-making across the whole sector. We know more action is needed to bring about transformative change and collaboration will be essential. We look forward to working with the sector to achieve greater representation in the Australian screen industry.”

The report provides the industry with key findings that show the gaps in representation on-screen and some of the challenges faced by practitioners in the sector.

FIRST NATIONS
The study found that the level of First Nations representation on screen is strong, increasing from 4.8% of main characters in the previous study to 7.2%, compared to the population benchmark of 3.8%.
Screen Australia’s Head of First Nations Angela Bates said, “For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be able to see ourselves represented on screen in shows such as Mystery Road, Total Control and Black Comedy, is powerful. This result shows good progress and it’s not by accident – it represents years of advocacy and consistent hard work to ensure our practitioners feel supported and are afforded opportunities in an industry that hasn’t always been accessible. It’s proof of what’s possible when we are empowered to tell stories from our perspective – it translates to screen and gives credibility to stories in a way that can’t be replicated, slowly breaking down stereotypes and barriers, which is extremely validating. While more work needs to be done, the positive impact that seeing ourselves on screens has on entire communities cannot be underestimated, and all Australians benefit because it adds so much more cultural richness to our screens.”

CULTURAL BACKGROUND (NON-FIRST NATIONS)
Although 53% of the Australian population have Anglo-Celtic ancestry, they represented 71% of main characters in this study. This is down from 82% in 2016, suggesting the industry has made efforts to increase the cultural diversity in the main characters on our screens. For the purpose of this report and to allow for comparison with the 2016 report, top-level findings for cultural background has been grouped into ‘Anglo-Celtic’, ‘European’ and ‘non-European’2, mirroring key waves of migration to Australia. The share of non-European main characters (for example, those with Indian, Chinese or Middle Eastern ancestry) has more than doubled from 6.9% to 16%. However, this is still lower than the population benchmark of 25%. One in four TV dramas feature all Anglo-Celtic main characters, down from one in three in the previous study.

DISABILITY
The rate of disability representation among main characters has improved, but from a low base. Disability remains very much under-represented in TV drama (6.6%, up from 3.6% in the previous study) compared to the Australian population (18%). The report found that nearly three quarters of programs did not feature any disabled main characters, an improvement from the 90% reported in 2016. This indicates that more work needs to be done so that disabled people are included as main characters in our screen stories.

GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION
The gender of main characters was evenly split between women and men, similar to the Australian population. There were 13 characters who are transgender (0.4% of main characters) and five who are non-binary (0.2%). At the time of preparing this report, there were no population statistics for people who are trans and/or gender diverse. Representation of LGBTIQ+ characters has increased to 7.4%, up from 4.5% in 2016. This is still lower than the estimated 11% of the population who identify as LGBTIQ+. The report found that 69% of programs did not feature any LGBTIQ+ characters, a slight improvement from 73% in 2016.