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Australia

Oceania
AUS

Current Score

73.81

Global Rank

2nd

Percentile

99%

Last Updated

Jul 9, 2026

Ranking Trend

Australia's rank movement over the last 30 days

Lower rank number = Better position. Hover over points to see details.

Score Analysis

Analysis of Australia's policy signalling profile

Australia's WokeMeter assessment score of 75 reflects a very high policy signalling intensity, positioning it as the second-ranked country globally. This score is supported by the presence of robust legislative frameworks such as the Online Safety Act and the world-leading eSafety Commissioner, which contribute significantly to its high score in content moderation and online safety regulations. Additionally, Australia's legal recognition of same-sex marriage and strong anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ rights further elevate its signalling intensity. Despite a moderate score in Institutional DEI Policy Intensity, recent trends and policies in corporate DEI, such as ASX's mandates, contribute to the overall high signalling intensity.

The dimension scores reveal a mixed landscape of policy signalling in Australia. The Speech & Expression Climate dimension, scoring 98.04, indicates the highest signalling intensity, highlighting a strong focus on freedom of expression and regulation of harmful content. Legislative and regulatory activism also scores high, reflecting aggressive policy frameworks. However, the Institutional DEI Policy Intensity score of 37.79 suggests a relatively lower focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion within institutions compared to other dimensions. Education & Curriculum Signalling and Media & Platform Moderation scores are moderate, indicating ongoing debates and balance in these areas. Overall, Australia's policy signalling is characterized by significant legislative activism and strong corporate DEI initiatives.

Score Breakdown by Dimension

Weighted components of the composite score

Speech & Expression Climate(18% weight)
98.04
Institutional DEI Policy Intensity(18% weight)
37.79
Education & Curriculum Signalling(14% weight)
58.59
Media & Platform Moderation(14% weight)
55.40
Legislative/Regulatory Activism(14% weight)
98.07
Corporate/Investor Signalling(12% weight)
97.87
Protest & Activism Salience(10% weight)
79.23

Recent Events

Events that influenced this country's score

Former top BHP economist urges tougher government policies to push miners to decarbonise

Corporate/Investor Signalling
+2.0
Legislative/Regulatory Activism
+2.0

Exclusive: ‘The preferred policy is, of course, a carbon price,’ Dr Huw McKay says, amid slowdown in BHP action on emissions Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A former chief economist at mining company BHP says stronger climate policy by governments is needed to “move the needle” and incentivise tough decarbonisation decisions at major resource companies. Internal documents, leaked to Guardian Australia and the ABC earlier this year, showed BHP had delayed vast renewables projects in the Pilbara, scrapped a project that would have delivered significant cuts to global emissions, and war-gamed options to push the electrification of its polluting diesel truck and train fleets into the next two decades. Continue reading...

Jul 10, 2026Source

Growing legal bill for failed defence of controversial NSW protest laws runs to hundreds of thousands of dollars

Protest & Activism Salience
-1.0
Speech & Expression Climate
-1.0
Legislative/Regulatory Activism
-1.0

Exclusive: Documents show $117,455.50 was spent in a single legal fight over laws rushed through after Bondi attack Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The New South Wales government has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees to unsuccessfully defend constitutional challenges against protest laws that were expected to be struck down. The costs, outlined in documents obtained by Guardian Australia via freedom of information legislation, include $117,455.50 of taxpayers’ money on a single challenge to controversial public assembly restriction declaration (Pard) laws. Those laws were enacted following the Bondi beach terror attack and were in place during a now infamous rally against the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, in February. Continue reading...

Jul 10, 2026Source

Modi tells Melbourne crowd India aspires to 'grow more, achieve more'

Speech & Expression Climate
-1.0

More than 20,000 people have given a rapturous welcome to Narendra Modi at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium as Anthony Albanese heaps praise on Australia's Indian diaspora.

Jul 10, 2026Source

Live: US and Iran trade fresh strikes, explosions reported near nuclear plant

Protest & Activism Salience
+1.0

Jordan's military says it has intercepted eight Iranian missiles fired at the country, in a fresh wave of attacks in the Middle East. Follow live.

Jul 9, 2026Source

‘Like a father to us’: pride and protest as thousands flock to see Narendra Modi in Melbourne

Protest & Activism Salience
-1.0
Speech & Expression Climate
-1.0

Indian prime minister wows crowd of 25,000 at Marvel Stadium as he praises role of diaspora in the India-Australia success story Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The throb of the drum beats intensified as the crowd of 25,000 Indian Australians prepared to welcome India’s prime minister back to Melbourne after more than a decade. As Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese stepped onto the red carpet at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night, twinkling phone lights illuminated the feverish audience as they chanted “Modi, Modi, Modi.” Continue reading...

Jul 9, 2026Source

Dockers stun the Swans in last quarter blitz to own the top of the ladder

Protest & Activism Salience
+1.0

Fremantle puts on a show in the last quarter of its clash with Sydney to claim the top of the ladder outright.

Jul 9, 2026Source

Children's commissioner quits as CLP set to pass controversial welfare changes

Legislative/Regulatory Activism
+2.0

Shahleena Musk's resignation comes as the Northern Territory government-dominated scrutiny committee backs the Country Liberal Party's changes to child protection laws, despite widespread opposition and confusion about a key aspect of the legislation.

Jul 9, 2026Source

Push to invest in early intervention as calls to police surge

Corporate/Investor Signalling
+1.0

A review of Tasmania Police finds calls for help have risen by 40,000 annually over the past decade, fuelling demands for investment in early intervention support services.

Jul 9, 2026Source

Cultural hub in Tennant Creek celebrates Warumungu culture for NAIDOC

Protest & Activism Salience
+1.0
Speech & Expression Climate
+1.0

Hundreds of people walked through the streets of Tennant Creek today as part of a NAIDOC march, finishing at the official reopening of the town's major First Nations cultural hub.

Jul 9, 2026Source

UOW governance chief admits repeated recruitment policy breaches

Education & Curriculum Signalling
+2.0
Legislative/Regulatory Activism
+2.0
Institutional DEI Policy Intensity
+2.0

The ICAC inquiry heard Alyssa White had celebrated securing jobs for former colleagues as the "greatest achievement" of her career before agreeing recruitment processes were compromised, lacked transparency and breached university policies.

Jul 9, 2026Source