Policy Priority: People with disability in leadership roles
This policy priority aims to ensure that there is increased inclusion of people with disability in leadership roles. Including people with disability in leadership roles will facilitate the inclusion of the perspectives of people with disability in decision-making. This will make decisions more reflective of the community.
Having people with disability in leadership roles ensures decisions are shaped by lived experience, leading to more inclusive, effective, and equitable outcomes. It also challenges stereotypes, builds trust, and strengthens organisational culture through diverse perspectives.
There is one measure under this policy priority:
The updated measure is discussed below.
Measure: Feel represented in leadership
Full name – Proportion of people with disability who report feeling represented in leadership roles
People aged 18 and over with disability were asked “Do you feel that people with disability are well represented in leadership roles?” as part of the ADS Survey.
Feel represented in leadership
Latest update: 23% (2024)
Baseline: 19% (2022)
Progress status: Improving
In 2024:
- a higher proportion of men with disability (28%) reported feeling represented than women (18%)
- a higher proportion of people with sensory and speech disability (26%) reported feeling represented compared with people with psychosocial disability (16%)
- those whose highest education level was none or below Year 12 (30%) reported feeling represented more than those whose highest education level was Certificate/Diploma (22%), Year 12 (22%) and a Bachelor Degree or higher (18%).
Figure 8.6: Proportion of people with disability who report feeling represented in leadership roles, 2022 to 2024
The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 18 and over) who felt that they were well represented in leadership roles. Data from 2022 to 2024 are used. In 2024, 23% of people with disability felt well represented in leadership roles, compared with 19% in 2022.
| Year | % of people with disability who feel represented in leadership roles | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 19% | (18.0%–20.4%) |
| 2024 | 23% | (21.8%–24.2%) |
Notes:
- Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over who responded 'Yes' or 'No' to the question 'Do you feel that people with disability are well represented in leadership roles?'.
- For this measure, people with disability are those with disability or restrictive long-term health condition, regardless of whether they self-identify as having disability or a long-term health condition.
Sources:
- DHDA (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing) 2025. Australia's Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us 2024, DHDA, AIHW analysis of unit record data, accessed 17 March 2025.
- DSS (Department of Social Services) 2023. Australia's Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us 2022, DSS, DSS and AIHW analysis of detailed unit record data, accessed 24 July 2023.
Source:
Australia's Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us
|
Data source overview
For figure notes, see Appendix B: Figure notes and sources.
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