In recent months, the US government under former President Donald Trump has launched a concerted campaign against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. From universities to businesses, programmes designed to promote inclusion are under attack.
The administration has issued executive orders targeting DEI programmes in federal agencies and among federal contractors, and has signalled its intention to use federal funding as leverage to pressure universities and private sector organisations to scale back their inclusion efforts.
What is happening in the US
The executive orders signed in early 2025 directed federal agencies to terminate DEI offices and programmes, end diversity-focused hiring and contracting requirements, and review grant and contract conditions to identify and eliminate DEI-related requirements.
The administration has also directed the Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate private sector DEI programmes, signalling that legal action against companies with diversity initiatives is a possibility.
Several major US corporations have responded by scaling back or eliminating their DEI programmes, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, John Deere and Tractor Supply. Others, including Apple, Costco and Microsoft, have publicly reaffirmed their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
What this means for Australian organisations
While the immediate legal and regulatory pressure is concentrated in the United States, the trend has implications for Australian organisations, particularly those with US operations, US-based investors or global supply chains.
Australian organisations should be aware that the political environment around DEI is shifting globally, and that the language and framing of inclusion initiatives may need to adapt to remain effective in a more contested environment.
At the same time, the Australian regulatory environment continues to support and in some cases require diversity and inclusion efforts. The Workplace Gender Equality Act, the Disability Discrimination Act and the Racial Discrimination Act all create obligations for Australian employers that are not affected by US executive orders.
The case for evidence-based DEI
The most resilient response to the current environment is to ensure that DEI strategies are grounded in evidence, clearly connected to business outcomes and legally sound. Programmes that can demonstrate measurable impact are far more defensible than those that are primarily symbolic or compliance-driven.
At Equi Consultancy Partners, we help organisations build inclusion strategies that are evidence-based, outcome-focused and resilient to political and regulatory change. If your organisation is navigating questions about how to position its DEI commitments in the current environment, we welcome the conversation.