The Australian publishing workforce is becoming more culturally diverse, according to the second Workforce Survey on Diversity and Inclusion from the Australian Publishers Association (APA). Run with the University of Melbourne, it was open to everyone working in Australian publishing, including freelancers. IPEd’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Party was consulted on the survey.
From 774 responses (March to May 2026), the survey noted some encouraging gains in representation for:
- First Nations people: up from 1% to 3.3%
- people with an Asian cultural heritage: up from 8.5% to 12.5%
- people with a non-British European background: up from 10.5% to 31.7%.
The survey also found that the industry remains dominated by women (83.3%) but the proportion of men is still greater in senior roles, 76.1% of the workforce is based in Sydney or Melbourne, and 36.9% of respondents were experiencing mental health conditions at the time.
APA CEO Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson said, “Real change takes time, but this survey shows our industry is willing to do the work.”
View survey results | See recommendations
For questions, please contact APA Industry Development Manager Andrea Hanke.
Source: Australian Publishers Association, 20 October 2026