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Message from the Chair, Sally Moyle
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This is my first note as the incoming chair of NFAW. I am very much looking forward to working with all our colleagues and supporters and I hope I can do the challenge justice. I have Jane’s very big shoes to fill.
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It has been a big year for the globe, the nation and for NFAW.
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First, I would like to thank our wonderful outgoing chair, Jane Madden. Jane has brought her tremendous leadership skills, her sure hand, her kindness and generosity to our organisation over the last seven years as deputy and then as chair, and I have learned a great deal from her. I am very pleased that Jane will remain on the board as to join Kate Gunn, as our two eminences (I wouldn’t dare say grises!) I am very grateful to Jane for supporting me as her deputy and to become the chair, and I’m looking forward to working with her on the board.
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Helen Hodgson is also stepping down, and I would like to thank Helen for her leadership of the Policy Committee and on the board over the last decade. NFAW is a stronger and more credible organisation for her leadership, and she is passing on to Helen Dalley Fisher, as the incoming Chair of the Policy Committee, a strong and well regarded policy machine. I’m pleased Helen Hodgson has agreed to stay on as a member of the Policy Committee.
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And I would like to thank Jen Bushell, who has stepped down as a director but will stay on as our part time administrator.
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We have now a refreshed board with a balance between new energy and ongoing NFAW expertise. I’m looking forward to working with our high powered leadership team, with Caroline Edwards as deputy chair, Veronica Williams as our Treasurer, and Gabriella O’Neil as Secretary. I am thrilled to have Llewella Jago as our head of communications, and Helen Dalley Fisher as our policy leader.
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And we have two new young directors – Brianna Delahunty and Akrti Tyagi, both already making strong contributions at their first meeting. Akrti and Bri are principals of the Persephone Network (formerly Girls Run), an innovative intergenerational feminist organisation creating change for young women and gender diverse people. I am very pleased that NFAW is able to auspice the growing organisation.
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In the last month, we have already done some exciting work together.
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In my position as an Honorary Associate Professor at the ANU Gender Institute I helped organise a symposium Feminist Futures in Precarious Times. In this two day symposium, a diverse range of academics, civil society representatives, activists and policy makers came together to explore the poly-crisis of rising authoritarianism, misogyny, anti-rights and anti-gender movements and to devise strategies for advancing gender justice. We wanted to strengthen resilience within these movements, and ensure efforts toward gender equality remain robust and adaptable in the face of evolving societal dynamics. A key output of the Symposium will be a ‘Feminesto’ – our call to action. Helen Dalley Fisher participated in the event and the Persephone Network coordinated the participation and leadership of a cohort of young women to help facilitate the event. We will be in touch further about this.
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We held our first Feminist Answers event at Parliament house on 26 November. This engaging cocktail event was supported by the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, and was a fun event to give policy makers big, bold, new ideas for advancing gender equality as they begin to plan the annual Budget for May next year. Some of the ideas are outlined below. It was a fun collaboration between several of us as NFAW directors. I would like to thank our sponsors for the event, DDCS Lawyers and Rowdy Inc.
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Nationally, it was good to see that re-elected Prime Minister announce he would like his legacy to be universal childcare. That the government sees a central gender equality issue as a key priority is a testament to the work of feminists, both within government and in civil society, and we should mark this as an important milestone.
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We are pleased reforms have come into effect to enable all eligible families to be entitled to at least 72 hours of subsidised childcare per fortnight. This recognises that the former Child Care Subsidy Activity Test wasn’t working well for all families, especially women who were working in part-time jobs, single-parent families or families with irregular work hours. It is a good first step, but there is much more to be done to ensure the availability and reduce the cost of childcare so that we can finally achieve universal childcare.
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The Government has done a lot of good work to advance gender equality, and it is paying off with results. The gender pay gap now stands at 11.5 per cent, the smallest gap measured. It demonstrates that we can achieve progress towards equality if the government is willing to commit and do the work. Of course, there is more to be done in relation to gender responsive budgeting and tax reform in particular. Our submissions to the Government’s Economic Reform Roundtable outline some of our agenda.
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Internationally, we face an increasingly dangerous and uncertain geopolitics, with the second Trump incumbency, rising authoritarianism, burgeoning misogyny and economic uncertainty. It will likely take all our feminist collaboration to keep Australia’s discourse and behaviour focussed on equality and fairness.
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We are definitely living in exciting times. I am looking forward to your support to help NFAW play our part in navigating them!
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Sally Moyle
Chair | National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW)
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Some Feminist Answers
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In our first Feminist Answers event on 26 November, we had three speakers making short pitches for big, bold, feminist ideas, and we asked participants to share their big ideas also. None of these are official NFAW positions, but they demonstrate that there are lots of big new feminist ideas to explore!
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Our first speaker was Helen Dalley Fisher, the chair of our Policy Committee, with a pitch for job share positions for federal parliamentarians. Helen argued that a job share option would enable more women, and particularly more women with young children, to seek election, and so continue the demographic shift towards equality amongst our elected representatives. It would also, Helen argued, deepen the expertise of parliamentarians as one person would not be expected to have all the skills required. One could do policy and legislative work, while the other could do electorate work, for example. And it would require a new set of skills that would strengthen the ability of parliamentarians to cooperate, a skill that is often undervalued now.
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Associate Professor Elise Klein from the ANU told us how a universal basic income is an essential feminist idea. She told us that a regular cash payment to individuals would deliver a number of feminist goals. First, it would make it easier for women to leave abusive relationships, and easier to imagine how they are going to survive on their own. Too often, women are faced with the choice of staying in the violence or leaving and living in poverty, often with children. A basic income might help address that. Second, a basic income would also go to the heart of freeing unpaid care from its second class role in the economy and society. A basic income would work to delink economic security from employment.
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Sally Moyle, our Chair, pitched an idea for a ten-year National Helping Men Care Strategy. She argued that, despite the work of decades to help men assert their rights to be more closely engaged in the unpaid care of their children, little has changed. We know that gender equal relationships are better for women, men, children, families and the economy. Yet men are still half as likely as women to request flexible work arrangements. We know many men want to change, but our workplaces don’t encourage or often even allow them to do so. We need to better align all the incentives towards helping men to care. It will take bravery on men’s part to kick back at confining notions of masculinity, incentives from government, encouragement from employers, and active support from us all.
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We called for other ideas from participants and received some great suggestions, including:
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- As a first principle, we need to collect more sex-disaggregated data (See Invisible Women, Caroline Criado-Perez). It would improve outcomes for women and strengthen the evidence base to support the allocation of scarce resources.
- In healthcare, women’s health conditions are often misdiagnosed, and conditions misunderstood. We need:
- more women in drug trials.
- targeted research on female reproductive health across the life cycle, including disease (menopause, endo, reproductive cancers);
- better understanding of leading causes of death for women/appropriate treatment given gender differences in diagnosis and health outcomes; ‘different’ presentation of disease and neurodivergence.
- access to reliable supply of women’s medications.
- In technology, we need mechanisms to address the high risk of AI entrenching existing unconscious bias.
- We need a four day full time work week.
- We need to make all senior decision making positions jointly shared between one woman and one man. (PM included!)
- We need stronger protections under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 for caregiving.
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We look forward to this event delivering more fun and bold policy ideas next year!
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If you would like to be involved in the gender lens process or would like to know more about NFAW's involvement in the federal budget process, let me know at helendalleyfisher@gmail.com. The policy committee is also reviewing our capacity and membership. If you know someone who would like to contribute to feminist analysis of Federal policy, please let us know.
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The National History Challenge 2025
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The national winner of the Challenge was announced by the Minister for Education, The Hon Jason Clare at a Presentation Ceremony in Parliament House Canberra on November 24. That winner was Grace Sharma, a Year 10 student from Perth Modern School with her essay “Saltwater and Sovereignty; The Sea Rights Case as a Turning Point in the resolution of Indigenous Land Conflict.” An outstanding student Grace was awarded the winner in four other categories of Challenge and all winning entries are available on the website, and definitely worth reading at historychallenge.org.au
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NFAW sponsors the category of Australian Women’s History and was won by Aeon Nguyen, from South Australia with “Surveillance and Sisterhood: ASIO and the Women’s Liberation Movement Personal as Political in 1970’s. This award was presented to Aeon by our patron The Hon Margaret Reid AO.
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It was the 30th Year of the Challenge, and closing remarks were given by the Foundation Chair of the Challenge, Mrs Alison Grant who together with Mrs Margaret Reid have been staunch supporters of the Challenge through those 30 years.
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The theme for History Challenge 2026 is VOICES, which is expected to have broad appeal to all students. While it was generally felt by all State and Territory convenors that numbers of participants had increased results of the washup are not available till next meeting (late January). Sadly, by then I will no longer be involved with the Challenge but I have enjoyed my years with NHC, and have been inspired by the calibre and the enthusiasm of the young budding historians, I wish you all the best. ~ Danielle Hyndes OAM Co convenor
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Shirley Randell AO Co convenor
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Making a Bequest and Supporting the Work of NFAW
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"Empower Australian Women: Leave a Lasting Legacy with NFAW
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Your dedication to gender equality has played a crucial role in shaping a brighter future for Australian women. Today, we invite you to consider leaving a gift in your will to the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) to extend your impact beyond your lifetime.
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Why Consider a Gift in Your Will?
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A gift, regardless of size, is a powerful statement of your values and a commitment to lasting change. It ensures your dedication to gender equality resonates for generations to come.
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Empowering Women Across Society
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NFAW is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Australian women in all aspects of society. Your gift supports vital research, advocacy, education, and programs breaking down barriers to women's equality, fostering transformational change.
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Catalyst for Policy Change and Social Justice
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Your contribution supports NFAW's role as a catalyst for policy change, advocating for legislative and social reforms that advance women's rights. Your legacy invests in a future where women's voices are heard, respected, and acted upon.
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How Your Gift Makes a Difference
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Support groundbreaking research on gender issues, shaping policies that address pay disparity and violence against women.
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Leaving a gift to NFAW is a straightforward process. Consult a legal advisor to ensure your wishes are accurately reflected. Informing us allows us to thank you and keep you updated on the impact of your future gift.
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Your Legacy is Their Future
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By leaving a gift to NFAW, you're shaping the future for Australian women, ensuring your commitment to gender equality inspires change long after your lifetime. We're here to answer any questions about leaving a gift and how your legacy contributes to a more equitable future for all women.
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Thank you for considering this powerful way to support gender equality and women's rights. Together, we create a lasting legacy of change.
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