Our final Women’s Network event for the year was a truly inspiring and supportive event for women held at the Canberra Wine House on 8 November. We had a great turn out of our women members and heard from a range of speakers throughout the evening. Women members of all ages and teaching experiences came together to hear from three members on their experiences attending the Federal Women’s Conference and lobbying politicians at Parliament House and their involvement with the AEU. We were also very lucky to have Jacqui Aquis, WorkSafe Commissioner and champion of women’s rights attend as our guest speaker.
Branch President, Angela Burroughs welcomed guests and the first speaker, Becky Gill from Melba Copland. Becky spoke about her experience lobbying, sharing her story of being a teacher and school leader and more broadly the opportunities she has had through the AEU, the connection and comradery she’s experienced through her membership and activism.
Pearl Harbour from Campbell High School shared her experience of being a new educator in a brand-new city where she didn’t know anyone or have a support network. The union and its members were the place that helped provide the support, friendship and mentorship needed to help her survive those often tricky months as a new teacher.
Steph Burns from Dickson College spoke of her interactions with different state and federal politicians as well as Federal Education Minister Jason Clare. The Federal Women’s Conference was the first AEU event Steph had been to and her experience certainly seems to have ignited a passion for greater involvement.
Lastly, we heard from Jacqui Aguis. Jacqui is a teacher, an expert in safety, and a tireless advocate for women in work. She shared her personal story and experience in schools, before moving into criminal law. Jacqui then made the switch to union work, firstly as an organiser and then as the senior industrial officer of the AEU ACT. Here she heard countless stories of women and their work and the impact this was having on them. She realised there was only so much she could do in this space and decided a greater focus on WHS was needed. It was Jacqui’s groundbreaking work that transformed the way workplace violence is treated in education systems, not just here in the ACT, but across the country. Now as the ACT’s Work Health and Safety Commissioner, Jacqui is ensuring that workplaces take a more proactive approach to addressing safety and wellbeing. She has been instrumental in elevating the importance of addressing mental health as an important part of work health and safety. Jacqui shared some alarming statistics on women and the health and safety risks they are exposed to daily, as well as the number of works compensation claims being made by women.
Participants were awed and inspired by the courage, resilience, and tireless work of all of the women who spoke and how much each contributed to the network and AEU. After the speakers, participants were able to ask questions, network, drink and eat. While this event is the last for the year for the Women’s Network, the intention is this become a revitalised, reenergised space for all our women members to attend and feel heard, supported, and energised. Next year we aim to have an event each term and would welcome any suggestions you may have for things you’d like to see or hear at these events.
