QTU Women's Conference 2024

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 127 No 5, 19 July 2024, page 18.

The QTU Women’s Conference is held biennially in the first two days of the winter break. The 2024 edition was a great success, with around 130 delegates from across Queensland in attendance. 

Proudly hosted by the QTU’s Women Teachers and Girls Education Committee (WTGEC), the 2024 theme was “Together we learn, grow, connect, inspire”. This idea of belonging was threaded throughout the program, with the focus on opportunities to connect through story, song, creativity, and challenge.

Delegates enjoyed keynote addresses from journalist, author and educator Jess Hill, feminist writer and organiser Karen Pickering, and QTU Deputy General Secretary Leah Mertens. Their stories provided history and context, a backdrop to panel discussions and presentations by diverse QTU members, all of whom spoke with courage, compassion, and humour. With the help of a couple of amazing QTU members, the program included the joy of music as a tool of connection, ending each day with the power of song.

It was a jam-packed event, and honestly a joy to see delegates creating thought-provoking signs, discussing, and responding to scenarios, working through the process of asking powerful questions, and planning for important conversations. Through all of this, they formed and strengthened connections. 

WTGEC and Executive member Lisa Broadhurst said: “It was an honour to connect with so many inspiring teachers and hear their stories, frustrations and hopes. We learned about how to ask tough questions, support colleagues, and have fun through activism. Most importantly, I walked away understanding the power of saying ‘I believe you’.”

Lisa’s reflections echoed the thoughts of others, one of whom said that this was the first time she had felt connected with so many women, that she felt seen, and that she was not alone. She said she left “feeling stronger, both professionally and personally”. 

On behalf of WTGEC, the QTU thanks those who stepped up to host caucuses, speak on panels, lead members in music and song, share personal stories and perspectives, and push through the uncomfortable to a place of understanding and growth. To the members who made their way to a cold, windy Brisbane on their holidays, we say thank you for your commitment and enthusiasm. 

Gill Crotty

Services/ Women's Officer