Source: That Startup Photo Library. Since 2018, the Australian government has used several strategies, tools and initiatives to improve the gender balance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The 2018-19 budget outlined $4.5 million to improve the participation of women and girls in STEM, with initiatives including the appointment of Australia’s inaugural Women in STEM Ambassador, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, and establishing the STEM Equity Monitor, a national data report on girls and women in STEM. In early May 2021, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources released new STEM Equity Monitor data showing a small improvement in women’s participation in the STEM workforce.