AEU Federal Women’s Conference: COVID-19 version
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 125 No 8, 6 November 2020, page no. 8
Typically held at the AEU building in Melbourne, for obvious reasons it was held remotely. Given our capacity to travel within Queensland, the elected QTU women were able to either “Zoom” in from the comfort of their homes, or travel to Brisbane to “Zoom” collectively.
The theme of the conference was Strengthening Public Education, A Feminist Led Approach. Following an introductory brief from Olivia Brown (Federal Women’s Officer) and President Correna Haythorpe, we heard from Susan Hopgood, who as well as being our Federal Secretary is also President of Education International, about the pandemic's global impact on education.
A “Her-story” panel followed, including pandemic stories and experiences from a kindergarten director – Mandy Dempsey (AEUSA), a TAFE woman – Sharryn Usher (NSWTF), a casual teacher – Fiona Ludbrook (AEUVic), and a regional and remote teacher – Rebecca Humphreys (QTU). The first keynote was “Gendered Analysis - Impact of COVID on Women” from the Executive Director of the Parenthood, Georgie Dent.
“The Case for Change – Future Proofing Public Education” was explored in a panel setting, looking at “Equitable Access” (Leah Olsson, QTU), “Skills and Employment Training – Importance of TAFE and Getting Women Back into the Workforce” (Jan Lau SSTUWA), “Support the Teaching Profession” (Jenny Swadling, QTU) and “Vulnerable Women Workers” (Abbey Kendall, director of the Working Women’s Centre, SA). We then heard from senior economist Alison Pennington from the Centre of Future Work, looking at women’s policy.
“The Case for Change – Reducing Gender Inequality and Boosting the Economy” was the second keynote, delivered by Associate Professor Elizabeth Hill from the department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney.
This was followed by a panel that explored building capacities; Pia Cerveri (Victorian Trades Hall Council) discussed the impact of family and domestic violence, Kerry Green (AEUVic) discussed what 50/50 caring looks like, and Anny Nguyen (AEU ACT) explored psychosocial hazards in the workplace. The progressive work that is being trialled by the Department of Education in Queensland in terms of a job-sharing app (in secondary settings in Metro, Cairns and Townsville regions) was explored in a session from Leith Mitchell, who is the Director of Diversity, Culture and Engagement, in her discussion on Flexibility in Education Settings.
ACTU President Michele O’Neil provided a pre-recorded keynote on the ACTU Recovery Plan, and QTU Project Officer Louise Loriaux also provided a pre-recorded session on the QTU Gen Z Report and engaging young women in our unions.
While the capacity to network with women from other states and branches was dearly missed, the Conference continues to be an annual highlight, forming industrial, professional and social frameworks and inspiring AEU women to keep advocating and supporting our profession with a feminist lens and perspective. QTU women can nominate to be a delegate to AEU Conference through the Journal.