1210 – 1240 CULTURAL CHANGE IN THE WORKPLACE : NOTHING LESS WILL DO
Gender equality has for too long been viewed as a women ’ s issue dependant on female advocacy and framed within traditional male-dominated paradigms . Gender equality is an essential requirement for building Australia as a competitive 21st century economy with the beneficiaries being Australian business and industry and , ultimately , all Australians . A change to workplace culture is needed that views gender equality through this lens .
Professor Jan Thomas | Vice Chancellor and President | USQ
Before taking up her current position in January 2012 , Jan was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Murdoch University from 2003 – 10 and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Notre Dame , Australia , from 2010 . She now holds the position of Chair for the Managing Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities . She is also the Chair for the Regional Universities Network . She was appointed Chairperson of the State Library Board of Queensland in March 2014 .
1240 – 1310 DESIRING DIFFERENCE : WHAT DOES THIS REALLY MEAN ?
Australia ’ s First Nations peoples are being sought out by the academy in increasing numbers , with many Universities having employment targets that seek to engage with Indigenous Australians across the gamut of roles that are undertaken in large organisations that are universities . Being appointed is one thing , being promoted is an entirely different kettle of fish . How do you measure ‘ difference ’ within a metric that seeks to promote on the ‘ same ’, yet the initial appointment was based on the ‘ different ’. Does this approach fully recognise and appreciate the very reason that institutions when seeking to employ Indigenous Australians use as the first essential criteria : Identify as an Indigenous Australian … yet are challenged within their own systems to promote difference .
1310 – 1340 LUNCH
Dr Faye McMillan | Director of the Djirruwang program | Charles Sturt University
Dr Faye McMillan is a Wiradjuri yinaa ( woman ) from Trangie , NSW . Faye is the current Chair of Indigenous Allied Health Australia and works at Charles Sturt University as the Director of the Djirruwang Program . She is Australia ’ s first registered Aboriginal pharmacist . In 2014 , she was recognised as one of The Australian Financial Review Westpac 100 Women of Influence . Her research interests are nation building and Indigenous women in leadership roles ; her doctorate focused these two areas of research into her thesis . She is also the proud mother to Kye and Ethan , as well as a daughter , granddaughter , sister , aunt and friend . Faye seeks to share her experience with others , in the hope that it could make a difference and to appreciate the transformative opportunities that education can provide .
1340 – 1410 WHY AREN ’ T THERE MORE WOMEN IN SENIOR ROLES IN HIGHER EDUCATION ?
Higher education institutions are typically run by men . The increasing number of female graduates across Australia each year does not lead to relatively more women in senior academic positions because patriarchal systems maintain themselves . Common problems in male-run organisations are a lack of understanding of male / female differences and cognitive bias against women . An understanding of relevant gender issues combined with mitigation of gender bias ( both unconscious and conscious ) in decision-making leads to best practice in recruitment and promotion practices .
Dr Mark Toner | Chair | Gender Equity Working Group of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and Consultant at Gender Matters
Mark is a former chief executive of Kvaerner ( now Jacobs ) E & C Australia . He has a background in engineering , science and IT , is a company director and a management consultant . He ’ s a fellow of various engineering institutions and of the Australian Institute of Company Directors . He has also made numerous presentations around the country on the problems women encounter in engineering and business . Mark is chair of the Gender Equity Working Group of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering , which is one of the two academies running the Athena SWAN SAGE Pilot in Australia . He is a gender consultant at Gender Matters and one of his areas of specialty is cognitive bias - unconscious and conscious .
CAMPUSREVIEW . COM . AU / HIGHER-EQUITY-SUMMIT 5