Events for the inaugural Australian Women’s Day will be held throughout the country on Saturday.
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But it was at Figtree High School that event co-founder Samantha Nolan-Smith kicked off the national day of celebration of Australian women and girls.
“It is a day to really tell the women and girls of Australia that they matter, that their stories matter and that it is time to really recognise that their voices and their opinions are really important in this country,” Ms Nolan-Smith said.
“One of our values at Australian Women's Day is inclusivity. We wanted to start in the public school system and send a message that this is about everybody.
“We have heard what the girls are saying and we want girls to know it is safe to be fully themselves. That they are valuable just as they are. They don’t have to change to fit a society that has a particular perspective.”
The AWD CEO and her two fellow event co-founders are mothers who have decided to take a stand for Australian women because they are tired of seeing people being left behind.
And, with the rise of the #Metoo movement and domestic violence at a high during sporting events like the AFL grand final, the three mothers decided to run the first Australian Women’s Day on September 22, to coincide with the major football finals.
Their hope is that the event will become part of the national calendar and they will produce an annual report on the state of Australian women.
“We just felt that rather than women being invisible during the footy finals season and actually many women being beaten during footy finals season….maybe we could celebrate women at the same time as we are already celebrating men,” Ms Nolan-Smith said.
“Let’s all celebrate and let’s come together as a nation.”
She said despite there being equivalent females and males in Australia, representation in public life isn’t equal.
“We’re significantly under-represented in parliament, in ASX 200 companies, in speaking roles in movies, in sports coverage on television, in history books, in literary awards, in the music industry, and in bylines in major newspapers.
“Australian Women’s Day is an important step in redressing that.”
The day of conversation, connection and cultural celebration of the women and girls, will see 11 events in places like Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Byron Bay, Bellingen, and the Sunshine Coast.
The Australian Women’s Day website includes a list of events. All profits from each event will go to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls.