2021 Wilson Dialogue - 'Ending sexism, misogyny and racism: the fight for gender equality in Australia'

It's been six months since the historic March4Justice, sparked by Brittany Higgin's rape allegations. The time since has been a whirlwind, with the Australian Government responding to the Respect@Work inquiry, developing the next national plan to reduce violence against women and children and re-establishing the women's budget statement. 

Meanwhile women continue to carry most of the social and economic cost of the pandemic. Have the events of the last 12 months led to improvements in the status of women in Australia? Are current actions to promote women's rights, economic security and safety enough to generate meaningful change?

Hear from the Hon Tanya Plibersek, MP, in discussion on the opportunities to build on this once in a generation moment to tackle gender equality. 

Joining Tanya Plibersek is the inaugural Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at the ANU, Professor Michelle Ryan, and human rights lawyer, academic and Member of UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues, Associate Professor Hannah McGlade.

The Wilson Dialogue, hosted by the Sir Roland Wilson Foundation, is one of Australia's premier forums for discussing policy issues of national and global significance. The event this year will be held virtually via Zoom.

The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation builds leadership and research capability in the Australian Public Service through postgraduate scholarships.

Find out more about the Sir Roland Wilson Foundation.

Speakers 

The Hon Tanya Plibersek, MP

Tanya Plibersek is the Shadow Minister for Education, Shadow Minister for Women, and the Federal Member for Sydney.

Between 2013 and 2019, Tanya was Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party. From 2013 to 2016, Tanya was also the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development.

Tanya served as a Cabinet minister in the Gillard and Rudd Governments. Tanya was Minister for Health, Minister for Medical Research, Minister for Housing, Minister for Human Services, Minister for Social Inclusion, and Minister for the Status of Women.

Tanya grew up in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney and is the daughter of migrants from Slovenia. Like many newly arrived migrants, Tanya's parents helped build the country in which they made their new home. Her father worked on the Snowy River hydroelectric scheme in the 1950s.

Tanya holds a BA Communications (Hons) from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and a Master of Politics and Public Policy from Macquarie University. Before entering Parliament, Tanya worked in the Domestic Violence Unit at the NSW Ministry for the Status and Advancement of Women. Elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Sydney in 1998, she spoke of her conviction that ordinary people working together can achieve positive change.

Tanya lives in Sydney with her husband Michael and young children Anna, Joseph and Louis.

Professor Michelle Ryan

Professor Michelle Ryan is the inaugural Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at the ANU, she also holds academic posts at the University of Exeter (UK) and the University of Groningen (The Netherlands).

Together with colleagues, Michelle uncovered the phenomenon of the glass cliff (a relative of the glass ceiling) that explores the appointment of women to leadership positions in times of crisis. The glass cliff was named by the New York Times as one of the top 100 ideas that shaped 2008 and was named one of the "words of the year" by the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016

Michelle is a Social and Organisational Psychologist, and currently holds a European Research Council Consolidator Grant examining the way in which context and identity shape and constrain women's career choices, with a focus on ambition, risk-taking and sacrifice, and work-life balance.

Dr Hannah McGlade

Dr Hannah McGlade is a Noongar woman from Western Australia and her career has focused on justice for Aboriginal people, race discrimination law and practice, Aboriginal women and children, family violence and sexual assault.

Dr McGlade has been a researcher, published writer and conference speaker and has held a range of professional positions that required her legal training and specific expertise in Aboriginal women and children's issues. Her advocacy and human rights work includes the international sphere at the United Nations.

Currently Dr McGlade is an Associate Professor at Curtin University, a member of the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues, and the Medical Board of Australia.

Virginia Haussegger (Event Chair)

Virginia Haussegger AM is an award-winning journalist and gender equity advocate. Her extensive media career spans 30 years, in which Virginia has reported around the globe for primetime current affair programs on Channel 7, the 9 Network, and ABC TV. She anchored the ABC's flagship TV News in Canberra from 2001-2016.

In 2017 Virginia established the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, at the University of Canberra, where she is an Adjunct Professor, and served as the Foundation's inaugural Director and Chair, until 2021. She currently hosts BroadTalk, a podcast about Women, Power & the wayward World, and writes regular commentary across Australian news media

In 2014 Virginia was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), She is the 2019 ACT Australian of the Year.