© 50/50 by 2030 Foundation
2030 Foundation
Tackling Gender Equality: The Launch fo the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation
Gender equality is a high-profile global issue. Australia’s ranking on the World Economic Forum’s Gender Equality Index, has plummeted from 15th in 2006 to 35th in 2017.
The 50/50 by 2030 Foundation was established by the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis (IGPA) and high-profile gender equality advocate, media personality and journalist Virginia Haussegger AM. Its aim is to improve gender equality and equal representation in leadership and key decision-making roles in government and public administration.
The launch of the Foundation was promoted over a six-month period in 2017, commencing with the establishment of the ‘BroadAgenda’ blog to discuss and explore gender equality issues and culminating in a high-profile event at the Museum of Australian Democracy on 12 September 2017. Keynote speaker and foundation patron Dame Quentin Bryce, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, former Senator and Ambassador for Women and Girls Natasha Stott Despoja, as well as members of the Advisory Council participated in the launch.
Dame Quentin Bryce AD, CVO speaking at the Launch. © 50/50 by 2030 Foundation
The vision of the Foundation is:
“By the year 2030, men and women will be equally represented in leadership and key decision roles at all levels of government and public administration, throughout Australia and our region.”
The goals of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation launch were to:
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Create a strong network of stakeholders who strongly believe in gender equality in Australian workplaces.
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Successfully launch the 50/50 by 2030 as an empowered movement which will encourage and deliver change to Gender Equality in the Australian workforce.
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Develop evidenced-based theory and best practice to advance the Foundation’s goals.
The team grew frustrated with the ‘glacial’ progress that gender equality was making and hearing the excuse of ‘oh, with time’. They decided the time ‘was now’ and as a result, BroadAgenda, the gender equality blog for ‘broads, blokes, brawns and brains!’ designed to facilitate public discourse and bring about broader awareness of the issue, was born. BroadAgenda was unveiled on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2017, six months prior to the official event launch, making it a key tool in administering and communicating information relevant to the official Foundation launch.
© 50/50 by 2030 Foundation
Through social media, email and smaller events, the BroadAgenda team created a platform for discourse allowing them to build awareness of the Foundation and solidify relationships within the community. The IGPA team had enormous support from leading figures of politics, military, the Australian Public Service (APS) and academia.
The tactics utilised to create an established profile for the Foundation on the evening included:
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Influential stakeholder engagement
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BroadAgenda blog
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50/50 Foundation website
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Including a video gallery titled ‘Press Play’
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Facebook and Twitter
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Email with weekly wraps
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Engaging with the media
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Scorecards
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The official event launch itself
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These tactics were used to educate and boost awareness of the gender equality and representation issue, whilst allowing the audience to receive and further messages within their own workplaces. Post-launch, the Foundation team worked in conjunction with APS Departments and other organisations to deliver training modules and seminars designed to ‘accelerate women’s progress across all levels of public leadership’.
The RSVP list for the launch morphed into a waitlist as the event date drew closer and by the end of the event, the mailing list for the Weekly Wrap had grown. Media coverage for the event was secured through the Sydney Morning Herald, Women's Agenda and The Mandarin, which all published articles about the launch and Foundation.
The 5050 by 2030 Foundation is a gender equality initiative with a difference: it provides the numbers and the information that is needed for action to be taken. The launch of this Foundation was just the first step towards strengthening Australia’s commitment to gender equality.