Deputy Leader of the federal Australian Labor Party, Julia Gillard MP, gave a keynote address  in a  “Leadership is Women’s Business”  session as part of the 19th Women, Management and Employment Relations Conference  held in Sydney on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 August 2007. In her address entitled "Taking the lead on challenges for women in business - Labor's fresh approach to work and family balance", Gillard made an announcement on National Work and Family Awards. A Rudd Labor Government will maintain and expand the National Work and Family Awards, a successful joint business and government initiative. Full details of Labor Announcement.

The conference, presented by the Labour-Management Studies Foundation, Division of Economic and Financial Studies, at Macquarie University and the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, is the leading women's workplace relations conference in Australia. Also featured was a moving keynote dinner address on “Women in Decision Making” by Nanda Pok, Founder and Executive Director of Women for Prosperity, Cambodia. A refugee who fled to the US just before Pol Pot took control of Cambodia, Nanda returned in 1992, determined to be part of the reconstruction of her country. Through WFP she has trained over 5000 women to hold political office.

Listen to the interviews of Nanda Pok on ABC Radio National Life Matters and ABC Radio Program PM.

Other leading women speaking at the conference included Margot Spalding (Telstra Business Women of the Year 2006), Dr Kerry Schott (MD, Sydney Water), Professor Chai Feldblum (Georgetown University Law Center, Washington D.C.) and Dr Philippa Reed, (CEO, EEO Trust of New Zealand).

The final session of the conference was a forum on “Women in Media” with Catherine Fox (Deputy Editor, AFRBoss Magazine), Lynley Marshall (Director, ABC Commercial) and author, editor and executive producer Christine Hogan. Hogan recounted her experiences of more than 30 years in the Australian media landscape. Her book, "Look at me: Behind the scenes of Australian TV with the women who made it", which chronicles the history of women in the telecast medium, was commissioned by the Australian Film Commission to commemorate the 50th anniversary of television in Australia.

Conference Co-Director Professor Valerie Pratt, AM, described the proceedings as particularly useful for exposing issues of importance to all women in management, employee relations and communication roles, " With  today's hot issues like workplace flexibility and work / life balance ; women in transition: moving in, out and up; women, finance and superannuation; leadership styles and the challenges for women in media  it is uplifting to hear from such inspirational role models. Delegates will definitely leave our annual gathering with a stronger sense of what can be achieved in the workplace of the 21st century."  

For more information or for a full conference program, visit the website www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/wmer

Associate Professor Peter McGraw, Julia Gillard MP, Professor Judyth Sachs and Professor Valerie Pratt, AM

Contact: Skaidy Gulbis

Phone: 9850 4774