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‘The Great Debate’: hunting the white elephant in the room

On a sunny August afternoon in the Southeast Suburbs of Melbourne, there was a gathering of professionals ready to meet, greet, eat and…. well, debate. The single goal of the afternoon: to hunt down and expose the ‘white elephant’ in the room.
The SCLAA held its third annual Women in Logistics Luncheon and what an afternoon it was.
Amanda O’Brien, chairwoman of the SCLAA opened the event as a ‘call to action’, while keynote speaker Jodie Broadbent spoke of her beginnings as a traditional family transport operator who quickly rose to the top of the Australian transport industry at the highest levels in Canberra.
With the serving of the entrée, the exciting part of the afternoon began. A director of the SCLAA Erica Gilcrist led a panel discussion between industry experts ranging from freight forwarding, L&D and IT to recruitment, fertiliser and automotive. The group was a representative mix of both men and women from three generations of the Australian workforce.
The opening topic addressing the average pay disparity between female and male Australian workers created quite a stir in the room lasting well into the main course. The second topic covering parental leave created an even more intense discussion with many audience participants sharing not only their opinions, but their own experiences. Dessert was hailed in with the third and final topic addressing the supply chain, logistics and IT industries as traditionally male-dominated and potentially discouraging to women overall.
The day was brought to a wrap with the facilitation of a lively auction conducted by Simone Curley of Love & Co, with the $3,000 raised being donated to ‘Buy a Bale’ in support of drought stricken Australian farmers.
All up, it was a truly unique and engaging afternoon and a real testament to the commitment of today’s professionals working to level the playing field for everybody in the Australian workforce.
Extra special thanks to sponsors LMA, Australian Trusted Trader and Employsure, members, guests and panelists for making this year’s event a truly informative, interactive and enlightening day to remember!
To view photographs from the event: click here.
To view a copy of the event highlights: click here.

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