A rural women’s pioneer says Bendigo is in a unique position to lead because of female representation in some of the city’s top jobs.
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Rural women’s advocate Alana Johnson will give the key note address at this year’s La Trobe University Women in Leadership event at the Capital on October 25.
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Ms Johnson said Bendigo’s strength came from an all-female leadership team representing people at the mayor’s office as well as in federal and state parliaments.
“Doing something to push the women’s equality strategy in Bendigo would be a really good move when women are in all those positions,” she said.
The La Trobe panel discussion would focus on a few of Ms Johnson’s biggest concerns, namely equal opportunities in the workplace, financial security and safety for women.
Ms Johnson was the sole rural member of the recently-formed Victorian government’s Ministerial Council on Women’s Equality.
She said strategies the group were developing were relevant to all women and it as her job to make sure they put a regional and rural lens over everything.
“As such there’s a few things I want to speak about while I’m in Bendigo. One is making sure women have equal opportunities in the workplace,” Ms Johnson said.
“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done in traditional rural and regional businesses and enterprises.”
Ms Johnson said when women were treated equally in the workplace, with the same career progression opportunities as men, it had a flow-on effect into community, social and personal life.
She also planed to address the growing number of women finding themselves in dire financial circumstances.
“Women’s economic security is an issue we’re facing Australia-wide as we head towards an aging cohort of poorer women,” Ms Johnson said.
“A lot of towns in Victoria that have poorer communities and no support services are often affordable places to get a house and so that’s where women find themselves.”
Event tickets cost $25 each. Click here to book.