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NFAW Festive Seasons Greetings and 2023 Wrap-up
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This year has been one of much activity for NFAW, both externally with advocacy, programs and events, and with the organisation itself - including new board directors and a refresh of our constitution now underway.
As the year ends, I wish everyone some joyous festivities and a relaxing and safe summer break. May 2024 be a great year for NFAW and all our members. Thank you for your
ongoing support.
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NFAW President’s Report November 2023
2023 has been a busy and, at times, challenging year. I write this for the AGM which follows
only weeks after the failed referendum on The Voice and amidst terrible bloodshed and
political upheaval in the Middle East.
As members would be aware, NFAW had been a signatory organisation and formed part of
Allies for Uluru. In the end, just under 40 per cent of eligible Australians voted to change the
Constitution to recognise Indigenous Australians and establish the Voice. There are fears
reconciliation has been set back terribly by this, although leading Yes Campaigner Thomas
Mayo graciously notes: “In all my years of advocacy for Indigenous rights, I have never felt
such levels of solidarity.” He continued “Whether you voted, “Yes” or “No”, I say to you with
humility and respect, open your hearts and minds henceforth. The truth should be unifying,
not divisive.”
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NFAW’s disappointment does not prevent us from efforts that strive to support First
Nations members and communities. We will continue to back reconciliation, listening, and
supporting recommendations from First Nations leaders, such as those from the Wiyi Yani U
Thangani (Women's Voices) National Summit.
The Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, chaired by Sam Mostyn AO has progressed its
report and released on 23 October recommendations for unlocking women’s full and equal
economic participation, and placed a $128 billion figure on what Australia stands to gain.
NFAW had input to the work and had met with the Chair. Nevertheless, some of the report’s
data points - highlighting the personal and national cost of women’s economic inequality -
still shocked us. As a mother of three twenty somethings, I was appalled to read the
different trajectories of the average 25 -year-old in Australia today.
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If a woman has at least one child, and if current working patterns continue, this 25-year-old
woman can expect to earn $2 million less over her lifetime than the average 25-year-old
man who becomes a father.
The seven comprehensive recommendations included in the report, cover further
investment in early childhood education, extending paid parental leave to one full year of
leave, better supporting older women to return to the workforce and addressing the
minimum wage.
Adding further to this debate, the Victorian Government’s just released “Intersectionality at
Work” report has found that culturally and racially marginalised women are paid on average
19 per cent less than men. This widens to 21 per cent when comparing Indigenous women
with non-Indigenous men across all industries. Women with disabilities are also paid 19 per
cent less than men without disabilities.
The Federal Government will consider the recommendations of the Women’s Economic
Equality Taskforce, alongside the analysis and policy directions of the Employment White
Paper as it develops a National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality that will be released in
2024. NFAW looks forward to that, while noting that gender discrimination remains
stubbornly persistent. Even in Iceland, which ranks among the world’s most gender-equal
countries, Iceland’s prime minister, is striking this week to protest against the gender pay
gap and gender-based violence in the country’s first full-day women’s strike since 1975.
NFAW members and friends will benefit from hearing about how we are faring on gender
equality internationally from Natasha Stott Despoja at our Annual Dinner. Natasha is a
member of the United Nations on the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW). Australia’s Ambassador for Gender Equality, Stephanie Copus
Campbell will also make remarks and she has kindly agreed to present the Pamela Denoon
lecture in early 2024.
After founding more than 30 years ago, NFAW embarked on a review of our Constitution
this year. We need to modernise it and align more with contemporary charity legislation.
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All members will have an opportunity to consider the new draft. I particularly wish to salute
Vice President Sally Moyle for leading this work.
Many of us were inspired this year by Australia’s hosting of the Women’s Football World
Cup and the performance by the Matildas in particular. We also want to acknowledge the
passing this year of one of NFAW’s great players, founding member Julia Ryan.
We also have a refresh of Directors underway. I would like to thank retiring director and
founding NFAW member, Ruth Medd. Not only has she been NFAW’s longest serving
Treasurer, but she succeeded in spinning off from NFAW an entity, WOB, that has grown to
champion women on boards in Australia and overseas. Several members and loved ones are
battling serious health issues at present so I would like to close this report with my personal
best wishes to all. Your support is very important and helps us continue our efforts towards
gender equality.
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Jane Madden
President | National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW)
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NFAW Annual Dinner 14 November 2023
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This year, we were fortunate to have Natasha Stott Despoja AO, the Australian politician,
diplomat, gender equality advocate and author, as our guest speaker at our annual dinner.
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Natasha delivered her speech “Waltzing Matildas: How is Australia Faring on Gender Equality?” to a full house at the National Press Club on 14 November 2023.
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In 2020, Natasha was elected by the General Assembly of the United Nations as a member
of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Her speech brought her deep understanding of gender equality issues in Australian and globally.
She noted:
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Everything is relative and of course Australia is doing comparatively well. But, the enduring
comment I get from my UN colleagues about Australia is that they are surprised that we are not doing better!
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The reality remains that when it comes to gender parity in Australia: women are still paid less for the same work, are more likely to engage in part-time and casual work, carry the primary responsibility for caregiving, for both children and parents, and retire with less superannuation.
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These situations are compounded for women from poorer, diverse and Indigenous
backgrounds and for women with disabilities.
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Women represent less than 36% of board positions, there are only 10 female CEOs of ASX
200 companies; women comprise 20% of the ADF workforce and until recently, Australia
had fewer women in its highest ranks of government than nearly every OECD country.
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Yet, we know that an increased number of women in leadership roles leads to improved
distribution of resources, better maintenance of public infrastructure, better natural
resource management, and actually has a positive effect – right down to measures as simple
as profit and loss.
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She pointed out that, at the United Nations, we are not only dealing with
countries which have been slow to advance gender equality, we are now confronted
by countries actively backtracking on women’s rights. The backlash is real.
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But there are also powerful changes underway. Significant markers — such as the Women’s
World Cup and the ‘Matilda Effect’ — show we can change hearts and minds when it comes
to gender equality,
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Natasha’s conclusion was that there is room for hope. This is not women’s problem: this is
everybody’s business.
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We were also fortunate to have Australia’s Ambassador for Gender Equality, Stephanie
Copus Campbell, AO, sharing her thoughts in the vote of thanks. Stephanie will be giving the
Pamela Denoon Lecture on 27 March 2024. This is one not to be missed, so please make
sure you come along!
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The annual dinner is NFAW’s most important networking and fundraising event annually. It
was fabulous to see the room filled with women, and some men, from across the Australian
policy and gender equality landscape. Many of our NFAW friends, supporters and founders
were present, along with leaders in parliament, government, and civil society.
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Not only is it a great night for feminist Australia, it also supports the important work of
NFAW. We hope to see even more of our friends and supporters there next year!
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We would like to acknowledge and express our thanks to our sponsors: Synergy, DDCS, Kiah,
and Intersection, as well as the support of the National Press Club, yet again!
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Social Policy Committee End of Year Wrap-up with chair Helen Hodgson
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The last few months have been relatively quiet for the SPC. Our major annual project
around the Gender Lens was completed in May shortly before the campaign for the Voice
commenced in earnest.
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We recognize that there is a diversity of views around how to acknowledge and value
indigenous people, but as signatories to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, many of us
were devasted by the failure of the referendum.
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We hope that the Government can overcome this major setback to continue to listen to and
support our indigenous communities.
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However, after the Parliament resumed sittings in November, we have been invited to make
submissions t a number of enquiries, including the COVID-19 Response Inquiry, the VET
Roundtable, discussions re the abolition of Workforce Australia and the Senate Inquiry into
the amendments to the Paid Parental Leave scheme. We are also awaiting the Mid-Year
Economic Fiscal Outlook statements to see what programs the Government may be
introducing to address the increasing cost of living – without raising inflation.
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We are expecting that the Government will release the National Strategy to Achieve Gender
Equality early next year, and this will be another significant piece of work for us for 2024.
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SPC Members have been invited to speak at the following forums:
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- ThinkTable 5 October: Employment White Paper (Frances Davies)
- ERA Forum 19 October: Minimum Basic Income (Helen Hodgson)
- Women in Super Summit 25 October: Gender Pay Gap & Superannuation (Helen Hodgson)
- ERA Forum 16 November: Employment White Paper (Frances Davies)
- APEC Gender Equality Budgeting Workshop 29 November (Helen Hodgson)
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The Equality Rights Alliance has recently undergone a restructure to ensure that members
of ERA who take leadership roles have appropriate legal protection. ERA is continuing to
involve the voices of members through a series of working groups, and members of the
Social Policy Committee have volunteered to participate in these working groups. More
information and individual membership information are available on the ERA website:
https://www.equalityrightsalliance.org.au/
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Finally, we would particularly like to welcome new members to the SPC: recently appointed
NFAW Directors Lara Freidin and Sonia Kohlbacher, disability advocate Meredith Allen; and
policy researcher Brianna De La Hunty, who is also a member of ERA’s Young Women’s
Advisory Group.
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Thank you all for supporting the work of the Social Policy Committee
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Prof Helen Hodgson
Chair SPC
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NEW LOOK FOR AWAP AS WEBSITE GOES LIVE
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We are delighted to confirm that the redeveloped Register for AWAP went live this month.
You can check it out here. And the Honouring ACT Women exhibition is here.
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Over 300 hours of volunteer work went into researching and writing entries as well as project
management by Louise Moran and led by Margy Burn, so it’s been a massive effort by the AWAP Management Committee. Commenting on the re launch Margy says, “I am so proud that this effort has ‘rescued’ some significant women. For example, we found the photograph of Tracey Fowler Whetnall, the first Indigenous Official Visitor to Canberra’s jail, where a shocking 20% of the prisoners were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. And Helen Notaras, the matriarch of an important Greek-Australian family, has been given a beautiful tribute – compare this with her entry on the ACT Women's Honour Roll”.
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While there is still more work to be done, this is an amazing effort by AWAP led by Margy Burn to create an archive of stories about outstanding women who have shaped our history, and their voices that have echoed across our nation, land, sea and shelters. Congratulations to all who have worked so tirelessly on this project.
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Welcome to New Board Members:
NFAW would like to welcome four new board directors to the team.
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Sonia has extensive experience leading teams, advising executives, and communicating to empower people. She currently works in a senior leadership role within a New South Wales government agency and previously had a decade-long career as a journalist in Australia and overseas. She has a Bachelor of Mass Communication and is pursuing a Master of International Relations and a Master of Public Policy and Governance at the University of New South Wales.
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Kawshalya is a practising solicitor and is the Lawyer and Clinical Program Lead at Anika Legal in Victoria. She previously specialised as a commercial lawyer in the projects, infrastructure and construction space, advising government and private sector clients. Having gained valuable training and experiences in the private sector, she moved to the not-for-profit sector in early 2023, aiming to create social impact in a community-based role.
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Lara is a community lawyer, feminist, and social justice advocate. She is the Executive Officer of Women’s Legal Services Australia, the national peak body for 13 community legal centres dedicated to achieving gender equality. She is passionate about improving access to specialist legal assistance for women who have experienced gendered violence. Lara has over a decade of experience advocating for law reform, policy and systemic change to address violence against women and achieve gender equality.
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Veronica, a seasoned CPA with 15 years of public service, serves as the Director of Finance at the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation. In this role, she focuses on establishing corporate governance, financial management, performance monitoring, policy, and compliance. With prior experience as the Director of the Financial Accounting Unit at the Department of the Treasury, Veronica led a team in handling financial statements, reporting to committees, and managing relations with the Australian National Audit Office.
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Many thanks go to Ruth Medd who is returning after more than 20 years on the board, and Vivienne Yu who has acted in the capacity of accountant for the last 4 years. They are commended for their support, dedication and passion over the years towards the goals of NFAW.
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75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – A Griffith University event
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NFAW are honoured to share the opening address of the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Australian Ambassador for Human Rights, Bronte Moules.
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I wish to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the land on which we are meeting and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. I pay my respect to leaders past, present and emerging.
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It’s a pleasure to join you this morning to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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And to commemorate Australia’s role in its creation, and the legacy of this involvement – which we look forward to reflecting on more this morning.
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Australia has a proud connection to the drafting of the UDHR, as one of eight countries involved, overseen by the then-President of the UN General Assembly, Former Australian Foreign Minister, Doc Evatt.
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We also recognise Australian women’s rights pioneer and UN delegate Jessie Street, who took a stand to advocate for the UDHR to protect all people’s rights.
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We pay tribute to all the drafters, for their principled stance for humanity, their vision and
determination.
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Although crafted in a very different era, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is of enduring power and relevance.
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The principles – universality, indivisibility, non-discrimination, all rights applying to all human beings without distinction of any kind – remain at the foundation of Australia’s international engagement on human rights.
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The passage of 75 years hasn’t changed this.
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Another thing that hasn’t changed is that protecting and promoting human rights is hard.
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Subscription for 2024
Your NFAW Membership Subscription for Individual membership may be expiring soon!
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We hope you continue with us as a member of NFAW, supporting major initiatives such as our Gender Lens on the Budget. This report provides the most expert, detailed analysis of the budget impact on women compiled outside government, and is a valued source document for governments, advocates, academics and the community.
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Your support allows us to continue this type of important work towards improved outcomes for Australian women. If your Membership is already connected to a Stripe plan, your membership will renew automatically on expiry date via Stripe using your selected payment method/credit card. If you need to update your credit card details, please update it directly in your Stripe account. To update or change your membership, please visit the Member Area.
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Please do not hesitate to email us at nfaw@nfaw.org if you have any queries.
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DONATIONS + BEQUESTS
NFAW was established through a $50,000 bequest by Pamela Denoon, with a further $50,000 dedicated to the Pamela Denoon Trust for special projects. Philanthropy is part of NFAW’s DNA.
In the past year NFAW has been working towards obtaining philanthropic support that will allow us to continue to put our independent, apolitical case with confidence and freedom, and without fear or favour. NFAW is not willing to wait another generation to get action – we want action on gender equality now. By leaving a gift in your Will to NFAW you will be making a unique commitment to ensure our teams can continue to do vital work. You will also be helping to provide a lasting legacy on gender equality.
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If you are interested in having a discussion about this, then please contact Kate Gunn Fundraising, Marketing and Membership Committee.
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Dates for your 2024 Diary!
27 March, Pamela Denoon Event, at ANU, Canberra
12 November, Annual NFAW Dinner, Canberra
Coming in 2024, Network nights in Sydney and Melbourne
Winter Tales will be back by popular demand in Canberra, 2024
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