Leena van Deventer talks about life after workplace diversity. Teaching girls to code is all well and good, but what comes happens after that? As a game developer, educator and author Leena understands all to well what it means to be out numbered in the workplace. And as she says, 'the struggle doesn't end with people getting hired'. If we really want diversity through and through — we need to start at the top.
3rd May, 17 Read more
“I want to tell you a story of lies and deception. It’s not Game of Thrones; it’s the Australian policy process. So basically I want to spell out what I think are the three big lies that are used to not cover up, but silence, they’re different. The three big lies that are used to silence our public debate when it comes to issues of gender inequality in Australia, and one big truth.”
9th April, 17 Read more
As we nudge 2017, it’s a good time to reflect on our progress when it comes to gender balance in the workplace. Over the last sixty years, Australian women have been engaged in the workforce in ever increasing numbers. However, it’s only recently that ‘workplace diversity’ has become the buzz term; a quick Google search brings up a whopping 69,500,000 results. Gender balance in the workplace? Not yet.
8th December, 16 Read more
Thurs 24 Nov At Breakthrough, we’re inviting you to join us in the ‘Life, Relationships, Money; Discuss’ workshop to share your thoughts about one of life’s big questions — money. We want to know, what have you noticed about women’s experiences with finances? When relationships are thrown into the mix, what happens to the monetary side of things? And ultimately, we want to uncover how we can better support women’s economic freedom. Led by Alana Johnson (Convenor, Victorian Women’s Trust), with support from Fiona Nixon (Bank Australia), this workshop will feature a...
24th November, 16 Read more
Wednesday 16 Nov You may know her as one of Australia’s best-loved TV journalists. Or as one of Australia’s leading mental health advocates. Either way, there’s no doubting Jessica Rowe’s tireless work ethic and passion for social justice. She is a patron for the Mental Health Council of Australia, Mum4Mum; an ambassador for Beyondblue; an ambassador for Welcome To Australia (an organisation assisting refugee families in Australia) and Camp Kookaburra and…the list goes on! In her recent memoir, Is this my beautiful life?Rowe wrote with disarming honesty about her own mental...
16th November, 16 Read more
Mon 7 Nov We all know how rough it can be sometimes to exist as women in online spaces. But if you’re a woman online who’s also actively confronting bigotry in 2016, there's a good chance you’ll need to brace yourself for a truck load of hatred from an onslaught of idiots. Celeste Liddle (unionist, writer, creator of blog ‘Rantings of an Aboriginal Feminist’), Clementine Ford (author of ‘Fight Like a Girl’, Journalist, Activist), Mariam Veiszadeh (lawyer, anti-bigotry advocate, founder of anti-islamaphobia register),Van Badham (playwright, author, columnist, unionist) and Stephanie Bendixson (writer and...
16th November, 16 Read more
What does it take to make it in a male dominated industry? Hear the bold, frank and often funny stories from the women who’ve done it. Judith Lucy (Comedian, Writer & Actor), Yassmin Abdel-Magied (Mechanical Engineer & Advocate) , Judy Horacek (Cartoonist), Leena Van Deventer (Game Developer, Writer & Educator) and Dr Toni Meath (Principal & Advocate) will share their stories of breaking the mould in #NotAllMen as part of Breakthrough 2016. Though we’ve made huge gains in gender equality, we know that many industries remain far from equal in their...
24th October, 16 Read more
It’s 2016 and Australian working women are still being denied the pay and rights they deserve. We say enough is enough - it's time to make a change! Joining us on this mission are organisers, researchers and workplace experts Ged Kearney (ACTU President), Colleen Chen, (co-founder, Interns Australia), Lyndall Stradzins (Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor) and Prof. Barbara Pocock (Emeritus Professor, University of South Australia). Don't miss this worthwhile She Works Harder for the Money breakout session at Breakthrough 2016. The national gender pay gap is currently 16.2% and has hovered between 15% and 19% for the past...
20th October, 16 Read more
Tilly Lawless is a queer sex worker, activist, uni graduate and horse rider from NSW. In 2015, Tilly rose to fame when she took a stand against an anti-sex work article published on Mamamia (a piece which originally hailed from the blog of a US Christian group). In response, Tilly posted an image of herself on instagram, stating that “there is no singular story or person to represent the varied & complex experiences of all sex workers, but here is one face of prostitution amongst a myriad” along with the...
26th September, 16 Read more
As of 2016, women run 34% of all small businesses in Australia. That number is steadily growing, supported in part by a drive from female entrepreneurs to share information and resources, opening the business community up to more innovative women. One such woman is Le Ho. Arriving in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam, Le has successfully tried her hand at everything from bridal wear to waste management, turning a failing business into strong money maker. Since then, she has acted as both mentor and inspiration to other women entrepreneurs. Speaking to the...
19th September, 16 Read more