Federation has made the difficult decision to postpone Women’s Conference due to the NSW government announcement on Saturday 14 August that all public schools and TAFEs will operate under Level 4 restrictions (as defined by the Public Health Order) from Monday 16 August for a period of at least one week until midnight Saturday 21 August.
Previously the decision to move Women’s Conference online was in response to the COVID restrictions for Greater Sydney. The extension of COVID restrictions, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders are having a significant impact on the lives and workload of us all. In making the decision to postpone Women’s Conference all options were considered.
A message from Annabel Crabb:
“Dear NSW Teachers! I’m so disappointed not to be able to see you this weekend as planned. And I’m really looking forward to seeing you when we’re able to be together in person. But in the meantime can I just say – as the parent of children who are currently learning from home with the assistance of some of you – THANK YOU! I’ve learned a bunch of things during this lockdown – not least that I’m not as good at Year 6 maths as I really should be, OK not at all good. But also I get to see and overhear the love and attention and effort that my kids’ teachers put in, under seriously challenging circumstances. Which just reinforces to me the value of the work you all do. Keep safe and thanks for all of us parents in lockdown.”
Annabel Crabb
Please stay safe and know that the Federation will always put the health and safety of our members, students and families first. The Federation continues to provide updated COVID information for members via our online blog and FAQ pages.
Writer and ABC TV presenter Annabel Crabb will be keynote speaker at Federation’s Women’s Conference, to be held online on 21 August.
Annabel’s written works include the book “The Wife Drought” and her Quarterly Essay “Men at Work: Australia’s Parenthood Trap”.
Her documentary series, “Ms Represented with Annabel Crabb”, has just aired on ABC TV. Promotional material describing the series as “a raw and honest account of politics from the female perspective” lives up to its claim. Writing about making the programs, Crabb reflected she was surprised by how many women MPs “across different generations and the spectrum of political belief” revealed they had experienced “gender deafness”.
At the end of the second episode there is a powerful montage focusing on the female politicians challenging the sexism and misogyny that is part of the parliaments culture, reinforcing the importance of calling out the behaviour for what it is.
Women’s Conference will also feature workshops, a panel session and presentations by General Secretary Maxine Sharkey and Senior Vice President Amber Flohm.