First Nations and non-white characters increase diversity on TV, says Screen Australia

Popular shows such as Mystery Road: Origin and Heartbreak High show that people want to see diversity on screen, says federal agency Screen Australia.

The cast of Netflix’s Heartbreak High.

Anglo-Celtic characters are fading from view in Australian TV drama, as producers increase the diversity mix to include First Nations, non-white and LGBTQ+ characters and people with a disability.

The Seeing Ourselves report found the proportion of Anglo-Celtic characters fell by 11 percentage points since 2016, while First Nations characters increased by 2.4 points, and non-European characters 9.1 points.

Federal agency Screen Australia looked at the identity of 3072 roles in 361 TV dramas broadcast or streamed between 2016 and 2021.

Screen Australia chief executive Graeme Mason said the move towards greater diversity had cultural and commercial benefits, seen in the success of hit shows including Mystery Road: Origin, an outback drama with First Nations characters, and the remake of teen drama Heartbreak High, which includes non-white, neurodiverse and nonbinary characters.

“In that show, they have gone out of their way to make it look like a high school in inner Sydney,” Mr Mason said.

“It’s diverse kids, and kids love that show, because it looks like the school they go to.”

The study counted scripted drama made for free-to-air TV, subscription TV, streaming and online services available in Australia, but not films for theatrical release.

Characters were analysed by cultural background, disability, gender, sexual orientation, occupational status, age and location.

The proportion of First Nations characters increased from 4.8 per cent to 7.2 per cent, compared with 3.8 per cent of the Australian population being First Nations people.

Non-European characters – such as from China or Southeast Asia – increased to 16 per cent of characters on screen (25 per cent of the population), and LGBTQ+ characters increased to 7.4 per cent (11 per cent of the population).