International Women's Day: from awareness to action
- Brad Junk-Gibson
- Mar 12
- 2 min read
Recently, I had the privilege of attending an event hosted by the Women in Defence Association to mark International Women’s Day.
It was an inspiring evening, featuring powerful insights from an exceptional panel including LTGEN Michelle McGuinness CSC, LTGEN Susan Coyle AM, CSC, DSM, Davina Mansfield, Ashleigh Langdon, and expertly moderated by Jahzinta Clarke.
For me, the event provided an opportunity to pause and reflect on the role we can all play. Attendance and participation at events like this shouldn't simply be about celebration, but about recognising that awareness must lead to action.
The reality is that many women continue to face structural barriers, unequal opportunities, and biases that limit their potential. International Women’s Day is not only about recognising women’s achievements, it's also about accelerating progress so that one day, events like this won't be necessary.
My commitment is shared across the CMDT Group: to continue advocating, supporting, and creating environments where everyone can thrive. We support inclusive leadership and equal opportunity.
We believe our people are our advantage. And that means embracing an inclusive and diverse workforce. What does that look like practically? It includes having policies and other initiatives in place to support this:
A paid parental scheme in addition to government funded
Additional leave entitlements.
Embracing flexible work arrangements
Investing in leadership and technical development through training budgets.
It's also about ensuring women's voices are not only heard, but listened to and acted on. That means inviting feedback and providing safe channels for this. As a leader, gender equity is a core business responsibility. It's embedded in decisions and behaviours. That's where, I believe, awareness leads to action.
I would like to close by acknowledging LTGEN Susan Coyle’s challenge at the Women in Defence Association event, to turn reflection into tangible change over the next year. On that, she has my commitment.
