Casting takes time. Open casting takes even longer. A casting director will likely be spreading their attention between ur project, 2 other shows, 3 ads, etc. So hitting the streets, poring through amateur auditions, all of this takes time. And more importantly - it costs MONEY.

Someone suggested we reclaim our exported talent, but thats even MORE expensive. So 'doing better' may mean channeling more production budget into casting, which means taking it from another dept that is already working with bare min. This means more delays, less resources, etc.

The Screen Oz report also states that almost all acting agents acknowledge that the majority of the talent they represent are anglo/non-BIPOC. So the numbers are against us before the casting call even goes out. One person mentioned Mindy Kaling's open casting call for the lead..

...Indian actor in her new series. A worthy endeavour, but also one of the big benefits from an initiative like this would have been the ROI thru earned media received through news outlets that ran the story worldwide. It's great PR. It proves that they care. But, it's a one-off.

Some productions will think ahead, as @mrbenjaminlaw discussed, they knew they needed 8 asian core cast members, so they came prepared. Same with @RyanJGriffen's casting of Cleverman. However, it is my humble opinion (and I tread very carefully here) that...

...these castings are examples of targeted ethnic casting as opposed to 'diverse casting'. The roles were written with purpose for specific culture/race/backgrounds. And they are shows on supportive broadcasters, so a willingness to invest in talent was paramount from get-go.

Both @RyanJGriffen & @hunterpage made good points that where Aus lacks is the casting of BIPOC in roles that are of unspecified ethnicity. Where drama is not reliant on the character's ethnicity. Pitted against non-BIPOC, roles will often go to non-BIPOC due to unconscious bias.

So even without character descriptions, character names like Tim or Doug will often prompt bias from a reader. When they're shown audition tapes of BIPOC, a requirement to change their mind already exists, without even clicking play on the audition yet...

So - what is the solution? I don't know. In an idea world, the solution would be driven by a true DESIRE to be balanced. From the network, all the way down to the writer. Eradicate bias from society in general! In reality, though, I think the solution lies with money. Incentive..

Just one example of a helpful solution may come from a company like @ShowcastCasting, who could consider offering free/heavily-discounted listings to unrepresented BIPOC with a targeted push for talent outside the 19-40 age bracket. Help get people 'into the system'...

Another solution may be in the form of rebate from the government. A set of criteria similar to the Bechdel test be applied to any production, and shows are given 90% of their allocated budget, & the final 10% is delivered once its proven that the show has a truly diverse cast.

Or another solution is - as @ms_michellelaw suggested - we tear the system down. But more than anything - BIPOC need to support ALL the other BIPOC content that exists. Prove that there is value in diversity. Get ratings up! If u have any further suggestions, pls add them below!