It’s a harsh reality: They may be better educated than their male counterparts, but women working full time in the workplace are currently earning an average of almost 18 per cent less than men*.
It’s this gender inequality and how it ultimately impacts diversity, productivity and the overall economy that has prompted the Sunshine Coast Business Council — supported by sponsors TAFE Queensland East Coast, McCullough Robertson and RDA Sunshine Coast — to host the Human Rights Equals Prosperity Symposium on the Sunshine Coast, to be held on Thursday, 5 November at the Mooloolaba Campus of TAFE Queensland East Coast.
Sunshine Coast Business Council Chair Sandy Zubrinich said the symposium would incorporate a business luncheon, conference and public lecture throughout the afternoon event, focusing largely on challenges women may face in the workplace and incorporating stories from the last five decades regarding how women have built successful careers. The afternoon also includes a segment on the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia.
“As a region, we talk about prosperity, which requires not only strong economic structures and performance but also environmental and social structures. While the Sunshine Coast Business Council usually focuses predominantly on the economy, we are interested in all three areas and this symposium is about raising awareness of important social issues that will — and do — have an impact on our economy,” Ms Zubrinich said.
“We view this symposium as an opportunity to shine the spotlight on the importance of diversity as well as some of the issues that still impact women in succeeding, participating and contributing fully in the workplace.”
“Success and sustainability in management and business — regardless of whether in the public or private sector — require a balance of gender, skills, experience and ages. While I think it’s widely recognised that we need to get more women into positions of leadership and power, we are still lagging in achieving a gender balance in this area.”
“More than a century on from when women were granted the right to vote in Australia, it’s incredibly disappointing to still see a pronounced gender wage gap and an underrepresentation of women in positions of power.”
According to the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency**, only 12 per cent of chair positions, 23.7 per cent of directorships, 17.3 per cent of CEO roles and 26.1 per cent of key management positions across the nation are currently held by women.
Ms Zubrinich said while Australia had come a long way in understanding the need for diversity and addressing inequality, unconscious bias in the workplace was still evident across the country.
“Unconscious bias in the work environment has the potential to hinder women’s career progression and deprive the country and economy of talented leaders. In an age of progress and innovation, this is simply not good enough.”
“If we are to adequately address the impacts of unconscious bias, then a robust and open discussion as well as strong leadership is essential, which is why we decided to draw attention to this important issue through the symposium.”
Ms Zubrinich said the symposium would touch on the array of legislative changes addressing diversity and gender inequality over the past five decades and feature presentations from five influential Australian women.
“We’re delighted to have the Hon. Catherine Branson QC speaking at this event to discuss how effective legislation addressing gender inequality has been and currently is within today’s fast changing society and modernising economy,” Ms Zubrinich said.
“Catherine is well-known for her role as the former Australian Human Rights Commission President. She was also the first woman in the country to be appointed a Crown Solicitor and to serve as a judge in the Federal Court of Australia, so she is well-placed to share insight into the gender inequality debate.”
“We’re also excited to have YMCA New South Wales Chief Executive Officer Leisa Hart, Sunshine Coast Grammar School Principal Maria Woods, MediMobile Founder Dr Kirsten Baulch and TAFE Queensland East Coast Marketing and Media Manager Courtney Aspland sharing how they built their careers and approached issues facing their various generations.”
The Human Rights Equals Prosperity Symposium will take place on Thursday, 5 November at TAFE Queensland East Coast and include the following sessions:
Business luncheon
“Unconscious bias in the workplace and the importance of strong leadership”
Time: 11.45am-2.00pm
Location: Cartwrights, TAFE Queensland East Coast, 34 Lady Musgrave Drive, Mountain Creek
Cost: $58 for Sunshine Coast Business Council members, $70 for non-members, $550 for corporate tables (incl. GST)
Speaker: The Hon. Catherine Branson QC
Inclusions: Two-course lunch, refreshments, presentation, networking and free parking
Conference
“Five decades of women’s careers — what has changed?”
Time: 2.00pm-5.30pm
Location: Lecture Theatre, A Block, TAFE Queensland East Coast, 34 Lady Musgrave Drive, Mountain Creek
Cost: $40 for Sunshine Coast Business Council members, $15 for students, $50 for non-members, (incl. GST)
Speakers: The Hon. Catherine Branson QC, Leisa Hart, Maria Woods, Dr Kirsten Baulch, Courtney Aspland and Kristan Conlon (facilitator)
Inclusions: Conference registration, presentations, refreshments, networking and free parking
Public lecture
“Questions for Australia in the modern refugee debate”
Time: 5.30pm-6.30pm
Location: Lecture Theatre, A Block, TAFE Queensland East Coast, 34 Lady Musgrave Drive, Mountain Creek
Cost: Free (registration is essential as numbers are limited)
Speakers: The Hon. Catherine Branson QC
Inclusions: Conference registration, presentations, refreshments, networking and free parking
Packages are also available for attending multiple events within the symposium program. To secure your seat, please visit www.trybooking.com/JEQX or log on to www.scbusinesscouncil.com.au for further information.
// Ends.
Media contact
Maya Gurry, Fresh PR & Marketing
P: 0410 109 102
E: maya@freshprm.com.au
Sources
*Australian Government, Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Gender Pay Gap Statistics, August 2015, https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Gender_Pay_Gap_Factsheet.pdf.
** Australian Government, Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Gender workplace statistics at a
Glance, August 2015, https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Stats_at_a_Glance.pdf.
Speakers
• The Hon. Catherine Branson, QC
Catherine Branson is well-known for her role as the former Australian Human Rights Commission President. She was also the first woman in the country to be named a Crown Solicitor and to serve as a judge in the Federal Court of Australia.
Since her retirement, she has taken on the role of Adjunct Professor at Adelaide Law School.
• Leisa Hart
Lisa Hart commenced work in IT services in the 1980s and enjoyed a career spanning more than 20 years working for organisations including IBM, Computer Associates and EDS. In 2003, she relocated to California to run LoudCloud, a Silicon Valley webhosting company, which was eventually acquired by a larger company.
She has also held Chief Operating Officer roles and is currently the Chief Executive Office of YMCA New South Wales where she leads a team of 2,700 people.
• Maria Woods
Maria Woods is the Principal of Sunshine Coast Grammar School and an experienced educator, having worked in both the independent and state sectors for 20 years.
Maria is passionate about quality teaching and learning. Her background is in the arts and she is currently undertaking her doctoral studies with a focus on pre-service teacher education.
• Dr Kirsten Baulch
Kirsten Baulch is a general practitioner with over 16 years of experience in clinical medicine. She is also the Founder and Clinical Director of award-winning MediMobile, Australia and New Zealand’s largest workplace and community influenza vaccination service.
Kirsten employs close to 400 people Australia-wide to vaccinate nearly 200,000 Australians annually. She is also the founder of Nationwide Nannies, an Australia-wide boutique nanny service, and not-for-profit venture Extension Education, which provides educational experiences for Sunshine Coast children with very high IQs.
• Courtney Aspland
Courtney Aspland is currently the Manager for Marketing and Sales at TAFE Queensland East Coast, the largest premier provider of vocational education on the Sunshine Coast and in Wide Bay.
With degrees in journalism and business, she has established a significant marketing career on the coast working for major tourism attractions such as Underwater World. She set up her first
business when she was just 14 years old and is a former winner of the ATMA Marketing Awards for multimedia excellence. Courtney is currently studying a Master of Business Administration.
• Kristan Conlon (conference facilitator)
Kristan is a partner of leading independent Australian law firm McCullough Robertson. She is a founding member of the firm’s diversity committee and leads the property, planning and finance team nationally where she has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements for her staff.
Kristan sits on the Board of Boystown and is a committee member of the Property Council of Australia’s Women and Diversity Committee. She was a finalist in the Australasian Women
in Business Law Awards in 2014, which celebrates initiatives for gender diversity, innovation, minority women, mentoring, work-life balance, pro bono work and talent management.