Early date for Women’s Conference

By Siobhan Callan

Federation Women's Conference will be held this year during term 1, on Saturday March 31.

The theme for this year's conference is "Fairer Future, Decent Society" and the day will focus in part on raising awareness and discussion of political issues of importance to teachers in the lead up to the federal election, with particular emphasis on public education and industrial relations.

Federal Opposition deputy leader Julia Gillard, Federal Education, Science and Training Minister Julie Bishop and Greens Senator for NSW Kerry Nettle have been invited to speak to conference delegates about the policy platforms of their respective political parties.

Each year the Conference focuses on industrial as well as professional issues of relevance to women members of the union. Dr Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli from Deakin University, will inform Conference delegates about her latest research on gender and culture. Maria was very well received when she last spoke at the Women's Conference in 2004. Maria's presentation challenged and inspired women participants to think carefully about the construction of gender in our schools and the ways in which a student's sense of self is influenced and shaped by societal expectation of appropriate behaviour for "girls" or "boys".Conference workshops will provide an opportunity for women members to contribute to the development of Federation policies on a range of professional and workplace issues as well as encouraging the involvement of women members in the Federal election campaign.

About 300 women Federation members from across NSW usually attend the conference. These members include women teachers from public primary and secondary schools as well as women teachers from TAFE colleges, AMES and Corrective Services.

The conference always provides an enjoyable and stimulating means of supporting and sharing ideas with other women teacher activists and all financial women Federation members are encouraged to attend.

There is no registration fee for the conference. Federation funds the cost of travel and accommodation for one delegate from each country association. Local associations usually also elect to fund further delegates from their own association funds. City associations will often also make a contribution towards the incidental costs of women delegates from their own association attending the conference. Women are encouraged to contact their Association Secretary or Federation Organiser for further information about funding available to attend the conference.

Federation also funds five women Aboriginal delegates from rural areas and five country delegates from TAFE. Aboriginal women members may wish to contact Charline Emzin-Boyd, Aboriginal Education Coordinator on (02) 9217 2100 for further details, and TAFE women members are welcome to contact TAFE TA Secretary Linda Simon on (02) 9217 2311.

Registrations close on March 16 for country delegates and on March 23 for city delegates. All women members are welcome to contact their Association Secretary for details on how to register or alternatively contact Federation Women's Coordinator Siobhan Callan on (02) 9217 2152 or 1300 654 369. Information and registration forms have already been sent to Women's Contacts in all workplaces.

Federation hopes to see as many women Federation members as possible, whether experienced activists or newly involved in their union, filling the Federation auditorium in Surry Hills on March 31.

Siobhan Callan is the Women's Coordinator.

For further information

February 2007 contents