Women & Leadership Australia

You've heard about the gender pay gap, but what about the gender PLAY gap?

"Don't Shrink to Fit": Sydney Symposium's Call for Authentic, Sustainable, and Equitable Leadership.
What a day at The Australian Women's Leadership Symposium in Sydney! We heard from incredible women in government, sport, community, and advocacy. Key takeaways? The power of integrity, authenticity, compassion, collaboration, and active listening in leadership.

Highlights of what speakers discussed:
• Monica Barone: "We can’t achieve a sustainable future if we don’t embrace equality for women."
• Lorraine Finlay: Modern leaders are "community builders and leaders of values."
• Prabha Nandagopal: "Take up space at work, don’t shrink to fit the room."
• Thea O'Connor: Value and cherish wisdom from older women (lessons from the Orcas!).
• Dr. Alanna Kamp: "Good leaders will encourage their team to let the cracks show."
• Steph Tisdell: “You can usually tell a leader by their cortisol level…I’m real stressed, therefore I’m a leader.”

Huge thanks to all our speakers and attendees for a truly inspiring day!
Special thanks to
Advocacy Partner: Women's Community Shelters
Supporting Partners: Cook Medical , City of Parramatta

Our popular Vital Leadership Series of masterclasses is expanding!
We're thrilled to announce our Learning Development team have developed 4 new masterclasses on popular leadership topics including using AI effectively.

Sessions will start later in the year. Fill out our expression of interest form to be the first to hear more and take advantage of early-bird discounts.

Register your interest here: www.wla.edu.au/post/vital-waitlist/

School leaders are facing increasing levels of stress, violence and abuse in their roles. It's leading to burn out and concerns for staff wellbeing and safety.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/it-is-a-seriously-difficult-role-and-only-getting-harder-school-principals-speak-about-stress-violence-and-abuse-in-their-jobs-253327

Do you know when to turn to a mentor, coach, or sponsor? While these terms are often used interchangeably, each serves a unique purpose. From long-term guidance to short-term problem solving, and from workplace advocacy to knowledge sharing and personal development — find out how you could benefit from each type in our blog www.wla.edu.au/post/mentors-coaches-and-sponsors-navigating-your-career-development/

Our leadership programs build connections that last a lifetime! Deb and Corrie's friendship, formed during our Executive Ready Program, is a beautiful example of women empowering women

Congratulations to the 2025 Stella Prize winner Michelle de Kretser for her novel Theory & Practice

The Stella Prize is a literary award for women and non-binary writers established in 2013. 2025 was the first year the Stella shortlist featured books exclusively by women of colour.

Third time lucky for Australian author, winner of the $60k Stella Prize Theory & Practice, Michelle de Kretser's novel exploring the "messy gap" between art and life, has won one of the nation's top literary awards.

Victoria was leading the way with investment in women's sport, with the Australian-first Office for Women in Sport and Recreation and a program geared towards preventing gender-based violence in sports. This changed last month when the latest state budget quietly cut funding to both.

We're firm believers that now is not the time to be cutting funding to women's sport and recreation. What do you think?

Red armbands worn across football fields in silent protest over cuts Football players across Victoria don red armbands in protest over the axing of the Office of Women in Sport and Recreation.

Women supporting women, parliament edition.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, and a time to reflect and recognise the work that still needs to be done to foster respect and inclusion.
If you're an LGBTQIA+ person, pride month is an empowering chance to celebrate YOU, your identity, and YOUR community! And if you're not a member of the community, show your support by engaging with local events, wear rainbow, wave the pride flag, and brush up on how to be a better ally to all members of the rainbow community and beyond with these top tips from past Symposium Speakers.
https://www.wla.edu.au/post/5-ways-to-be-a-better-ally-in-the-workplace/