According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census of Population and Housing, 27.6 per cent of Australians were born overseas and 22.8 per cent spoke a language other than English at home.
Western Australia reflects this diversity, yet many people do not feel accurately represented in advertising.
Writing in Mediaweek, Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Media Sales Acting Director Lee Fifoot said only 32 per cent of overseas-born Australians and 26 per cent of Australian-born Australians felt represented in advertisements, based on research conducted in collaboration with Western Sydney University for the report What Australia Means to Me.
A study from SBS and the University of Canberra – Sense of Belonging and Media Representation among Multilingual Audiences in Australia – found that multilingual Australians who felt their culture and language were fairly represented in the media were significantly more likely to report higher levels of collective efficacy.
In turn, those who believed their community could meaningfully influence Australia were more likely to feel a stronger sense of belonging to the broader society.
To address concerns about underrepresentation, advertising companies are increasingly embedding diversity in the creative process.
The Brand Agency Production Manager Liam Crighton said representation was now a consistent consideration in casting.
“Since integrating into the production industry, I’ve seen my direct creative community hold a constant diversity lens when casting talent,” he said.
“In a state as diverse as WA, representation isn’t a nice-to-have – it should be a consistent part of accurately reflecting the vibrant society we live in.”
“I think creative companies need to showcase diversity through thoughtful representation, rather than treating it as a box-ticking exercise,” he said.
For Western Australian-based actor Nicholas Oh, diversity in advertising creates both opportunity and limitation.
“I’m wanted in advertisements for my ethnicity, but my ethnicity is also why I’m looked over for serious roles,” he said.
“For an Australian, white isn’t always an accurate portrayal anymore.
“The advertising industry is more open with who it’s happy to cast, whereas the television industry is a lot more specific in the kind of diversity it wants.”
Mr Oh said the industry was improving but still had a long way to go.
This article was previously published in The West Australian’s ad-land magazine, The Debrief.
Nicola Kinnane
Nicola Kinnane is a Perth-based actor studying at ECU. Alongside her creative practice, she writes on mental health and contemporary social issues, approaching journalism as an extension of her interest in character, empathy and lived experience.
