Lack of Indian faces in top Australian leadership positions

A report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found that in only five per-cent of chief-executive and senior management jobs are held by people of non-Anglo-Celtic or non-European background.

Source: Getty Images/skynesher

The report, released as part of the 'Leading for Change' initiative launched in 2016, says that the number of people from non-European and non-Indigenous backgrounds that are at chief-executive and senior management positions is as low as five per-cent. 

The report finds Anglo-Celtic Australians and those of European background continue to fill the ranks of Australian chief executives at a rate as high as 97 per cent. 

It finds cultural diversity improves only slightly at the senior management level, with 95 per cent of more than 2,400 senior leaders having an Anglo-Celtic or European background.

A business woman is seen walking through the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Source: AAP

This is not in proportion to Australia's general population where people of non-European or non-Indigenous background make up about 24 per cent.

Professor Purnendra Jain from the University of Adelaide, told SBS Hindi, "We don't need to get alarmed because of these findings. I believe that in the next 5, 10, 15 years when the children of non-Europeans especially Asian migrants, grow up in this system, they will reach leadership positions."

But Professor Jain adds that there are structural issues. "In addition, there are some biases and prejudices. These could perhaps remain for 10-15 years but as our children grow up in this system we will see a change and we are already seeing it".

Professor Jain cites the examples of two recent Australian High Commissioners to India, Peter Varghese and Harinder Sidhu, both of whom are of Indian descent.

Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane says the findings raise questions about whether Australia is rewarding talent as it should.  

"The general Australian population has about 24 per cent of people who have non-European and Indigenous background" he said. "What we're seeing then is a significant under-representation of cultural diversity in senior leadership. And this challenges us as Australians to ask whether what we're seeing reflects the kind of multicultural nation that we are." 

with SBS News.