AEU Federal Women’s Conference – Safety and Respect
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 1, 14 February 2025, page no 21.
From every corner of the nation, women from all education sectors united to share their stories, ignite crucial conversations, and chart a path toward a more inclusive and empowered future for women.
After N’arweet Carolyn Briggs (Boon Wurrung Elder) welcomed us to country, AEU Federal President Corenna Haythorpe spoke about the critical role women play in education – more than 78 per cent of the workforce is made up of women, and they continue to face significant challenges. She shone a light on the gendered violence, harassment, and misogyny that persists within educational environments, as well as the growing crisis in teacher morale and wellbeing they are contributing to.
Over the two days, our keynote speakers took us on a journey, with the same theme of exploring the issue of systemic and institutionalised gendered violence and misogyny in education and the need to change it, as well as informing us of forthcoming changes such as positive duty. From July, all employers will have a positive duty to protect their employees and take proactive steps to eliminate unlawful conduct such as discrimination and sexual harassment in their workplace.
Our first keynote speaker was Dr Stephanie Westcott from Monash University, who spoke about the “manosphere” and how its presence has seen a resurgence in male supremacy, resulting in a moment of reckoning for school-related gender-based violence (a term adopted by UNICEF).
Presently, there is a lack of political will in Australia to address gender-based violence and the human rights and safety of girls in schools. Dr Westcott stated that universities prepare young women to avoid harming students, but not how to avoid students harming them. In so doing, we are failing to protect female teachers. In a survey of union women, 80 per cent reported sexual harassment in their schools, yet leadership is failing to hear, correct, and hold people to account. The question that we all need to answer is “How do we get people to understand this minute-by-minute violence directed towards women in schools, when they don’t understand it, believe it, or see it as trivial?”
Sarah Copland, Senior Policy Advisor at Our Watch, a national leader in the campaign for the prevention of violence against women in Australia, described how the organisation is starting with the early years and early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings to “change the story,” “change the landscape” and “change the picture”. Our Watch found that a third of Australia’s women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15. Looking at some of our classrooms, we can see how true this can be, and it drums home why we need to action change immediately.
Australian Council of Trade Unions President Michele O’Neil spoke of just how far we have come as a union movement and lauded the solidarity of working women. Michele shared the impact that activists have had on the gender pay gap. Prior to the election of the Albanese government, there was no prospect of the gender pay gap being fully closed until 2056. Fortunately, it is now closing more than three times faster. Now, a nine-year-old girl will achieve pay equity with her male colleagues by the time she reaches 18. She ended by saying: “When women act in solidarity, we are a pretty unstoppable force.”
This conference became more than just an event − it was a rallying cry to step up, a celebration of resilience, and a call to urgent action and solidarity to address these pressing issues.
Amanda Power
Acting Assistant Secretary
Women’s and Social Welfare Issues
