Women's Agenda

Dr Juliet Bourke GAICD has been appointed the new Chair of Ovarian Cancer Australia. With over 15 years of dedication to the cause, Dr Bourke has been a leading voice in shaping OCA’s vision and mission and driving its success.  “This is a terrible disease, and we can and should do more to prevent and support women and people affected by ovarian cancer. I am deeply honoured to take on the role of Chair of OCA and am incredibly grateful to Meghan Speers for the wonderful legacy she leaves." Dr Bourke is also a Professor of Practice at the Business School at UNSW.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing calls to resign after his sudden enactment of martial law sparked protests and outrage. He rescinded it in six hours, with members of parliament storming through barricades to vote for the decision to be overturned. Martial law essentially freezes democratic freedoms while giving more powers to the military.

Writer, disability advocate and actor, Hannah Diviney has addressed the National Press Club to call for better disability representation and for the next National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Minister to undergo empathy training. "Here’s my suggestion: both sides, before the election next year, should decide who their NDIS minister would be if they get into power, and then from there, that minister should be immersion and empathy training that shows them what it’s actually like to live with a disability," she said. #NationalPressClub

There was a surge in women’s sports media coverage during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, driven by the increased popularity of women’s sport, a new report released by the Victorian government has shown. ❎ During that time, almost one in three sports news stories in Victoria was about women’s sport, with one in five dedicated to women’s football. ❎ The coverage of women’s sport was more than doubled compared to the year leading up to the tournament. #womeninsport

Women training as midwives and nurses in Afghanistan have been barred from continuing their education, after the Taliban instructed the closure of five institutions across the country this week. Here's everything you need to know about the latest restrictions on women's rights ⤵️

It’s official. Australia has just experienced its hottest spring on record. So, what do rising temperatures mean for Australia? Denise Shrivell put the question to Emma Bacon, founder of Sweltering Cities, an organisation working with communities across Australia experiencing the impacts of extreme heat. "Heatwaves kill more Australians than all other disasters combined, including floods, bushfires, and storms," Bacon says. "Isolation can be deadly during heatwaves, and a call or a text can be the difference between someone feeling like they’re alone in the heat or have options to get help keeping cool." #extremeheat #climatechange

“You cannot possibly compare women who are working in the childcare sector, as an example, to men who work in the construction industry," National Party MP Colin Boyce said during a debate last week on the gender pay gap. So does that mean one of those industries is justified in paying workers significantly less than the other? Below, Angela Priestley looks at how far we’ve gone in devaluing care work in Australia, to the point where participating in any aspect of the construction industry is likely to see you paid significantly more than any aspect of caring for and educating the next generation. #genderpaygap

Jianna Georgiou has been dancing professionally since she was 16. The talented artist hopes to inspire other young people to pursue their creative passions. She says the arts sector thrives when it is inclusive. Here are five incredible artists that should be on your radar: https://lnkd.in/d9Hj-4Mp

The LNP's Colin Boyce said during a pay gap discussion, “You cannot possibly compare women who are working in the childcare sector... to men who work in the construction industry.” What if we did place the same value (or more) on those who support the care and education of a child, as we do on those who built the facilities where the child is cared for? The MP also told parliament last week, "Many women don’t want to be CEOs of companies or take leadership roles.”  Which missed the WGEA data finding that women CEOs earn an average of $74,923 less per year than their male counterparts when calculating base salary.

In Australia, most childcare centres are privately run businesses. And like most businesses in high demand, they capitalise by driving their fees up. This is the glaring hole in the federal government's policy to increase the pay of early childhood educators, writes Tarla Lambert-Patel. Nothing will change, no amount of tinkering will make a difference, until we move to a wholly universal system of early education. #earlychildhoodeducation