This project is a response to the heightened global conversation about ‘race’ and racism that unfolded in 2020, and the resultant calls for organisations to do better when it comes to confronting and addressing racism.
DCA works in partnership with members to generate ground breaking diversity research that enables Australian organisations to fully leverage the benefits of a diverse talent pool.
Only DCA members can access the research reports in full. Summary information only is available to the general public.
- DCA research is grounded in the contributions of people with lived experience. DCA projects use expert panels, focus groups, think tanks and surveys to make people with lived experience central to the project findings.
- DCA research is ahead of the curve. It establishes leading diversity thinking and practice, enabling Australian organisations to re-imagine and reconfigure the way they manage talent in today’s dynamic operating environments.
- DCA research drives business improvement. It is high impact, driving business improvement through providing evidence-based guidance on how to fully leverage the benefits of a diverse talent pool.
- DCA research is practice focused. It responds to the information needs of industry leaders and the people they employ.
- DCA research speaks to the Australian context. DCA projects generate leading diversity thinking and practice that speaks to Australia’s unique and distinctive institutional, cultural and legal frameworks.
- DCA research considers all diversity dimensions. The full spectrum of diversity dimensions are investigated including age, caring responsibilities, cultural and religious diversity, disability, Indigeneity, sexual orientation, and work organisation.
To view DCA's flagship research projects underway or completed, see below:
[email protected] Index 2021-2022

The 2021-2022 [email protected] Index maps the state of inclusion in Australian organisations and provides the Australian business case for inclusion.
Counting Culture 2021

This research from DCA and the University of Sydney Business School has developed a standardised approach for defining, measuring, and reporting on workforce cultural diversity in a respectful, accurate and inclusive way.
D&I 101 - Collecting Diversity Data

DCA's Guide to Conducting a Diversity Survey - How to ask your employees about their diversity.
Intersections at Work

Pride in Diversity and DCA joined forces on this project as their respective research on LGBTQ workplace inclusion had revealed that culturally diverse LGBTQ workers had unique workplace experiences that warranted deeper investigation.
Creating inclusive multi-faith workplaces

This resource provides guidance to Australian workplaces about how to deal with a range of common faith-related queries, and also to provide workplaces with principles to help balance issues where conflicting rights might intersect.
Counting Culture

This practical guide is designed to assist Australian business map the cultural diversity of their workforce.
Cracking the Glass-Cultural Ceiling

DCA's latest report explores why so few culturally diverse females reach top leadership positions in Australia and what organisations can do to better recognise the skill and ambition of culturally diverse female talent.
[email protected] Index 2017-2018

The DCA-Suncorp [email protected] Index 2017-2018 is a landmark study, providing the first-ever national benchmarks for Australian workplaces in regards to the age, cultural background, disability status, gender, Indigenous background, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity of workers.
Capitalising on Culture and Gender in ASX leadership

In this landmark research, Diversity Council Australia and Deakin University, with the financial support of CPA Australia, tracked the extent of cultural diversity among women in leadership in ASX companies from 2004 to 2015.
Leading in the Asian Century: A National Scorecard of Australia’s Workforce Asia Capability

In ground breaking research, DCA has generated the first ever National Scorecard of Australia’s Workforce Asia Capability.
WordsAtWork - Building inclusion through the power of language

DCA has developed a new Words At Work campaign for workplaces to show how inclusive language can improve workplace culture and drive productivity.
Cracking the Cultural Ceiling

People from Asian backgrounds are well represented in entry level and mid-level jobs in Australian business, yet they are significantly under-represented in leadership roles, representing an enormous waste of talent, according to DCA's research launched August 2014.