PRESS RELEASE
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN RECOGNISED FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP ON
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’ S DAY
Dr Jill Tomlinson is the Winner of the Australian virtual Centre for
Leadership for Women (CLW)’s 2009 national Leadership Achievement for
Women Award.
The medical community is undergoing rapid gender change – in the course
of a generation women have gone from comprising a small minority of
medical graduates to making up over 50% of each graduating year. Despite
this women remain under-represented in senior leadership positions. With
the vision to empower medical women, providing doctors and medical
students with leadership skills and improved networking and mentoring
opportunities, Dr Jill Tomlinson designed a project under the auspices
of the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) to foster
communication, networking, respect, leadership ability and opportunities
among medical women. Successfully gaining funding, Dr Tomlinson awarded
twenty-two AFMW Leadership Scholarships totalling $15,000 to medical
women to attend the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA)
Western Pacific Regional Congress in
This, and Dr Tomlinson’s other leadership initiatives for medical women
is being recognised by CLW’s 2009 Leadership Achievement for Women Award
launched in 2005, aiming to honour women in the community who use their
own initiative to create and implement projects for the benefit of the
community and in collaboration with the community.
This year, CLW also recognizes the
leadership achievements of Julie
Gale, Founder of Kids Free 2B Kids, who is raising awareness about the
issue of the early sexualisation of children in advertising and the
media by creating a sustained public debate to shift perceptions that
this issue is about the mental health of children and young teens.
Together with Finalist Julie Gale,
Stephanie Taylor, a learning and
development professional is being recognised for developing the L&D
Professionals Forum so that professionals could network, be exposed to
the latest industry trends and participate in professional development
opportunities within the Sydney CBD.
Winning the Short-listed category for the Award are the following women:
* Kath Mazzella for her vision
to bring professionals and health
consumers together for the betterment of Gynaecological/Sexual issues
* Melissa Hughes for creating
an ongoing support group where
women could come with their children and partners to seek help,
validation and normalisation of their roles as parents and be assisted
by qualified therapists
* Dr Cathy Kezelman for
addressing the needs of more than two
million adults surviving child abuse in the Australian community and
raising the issues of adult survivors in the public arena so that
attitudes of the shame and stigma change in the community
* Margaret Hardy for
developing the Significant Women of the
Central Coast books to record women’s stories so that others can learn
from their involvement and be inspired by their achievements and life
story
* Lynne Schulz for raising
awareness about the problems faced by
multiple birth loss families and creating a supportive environment for
surviving multiple birth children
* Justine Kelly for developing
a website and e-zine to promote
labels and designers that are innovative and create eco friendly fashion
and for also building partnerships with designers and producers in less
developed countries
Highly Commended for the Award are Stacey Irving and Terania Shanahan,
co-founders of AWARE, an organisation dedicated to raising
awareness in
the local community about global humanitarian issues, promoting equality
and sustainable development.
Together with Diann Rodgers-Healey,
Founder of CLW, the Panel of Judges
for the 2009 Awards were Filmmaker and writer,
of the Australian College of Educators, Medical Scientist, Founder
and
Director of Global Sisterhood Network,
Commissioner of Victoria Police,
Shirley Randell AM, Consultant for Gender and Governance for
Empowerment in Rwanda, Eastern Africa; and Dr Jocelynne Scutt,
Barrister & Human Rights Lawyer, First Anti-Discrimination Commissioner
and Executive Producer.
CLW’s 2009 Leadership Achievement Award for Women was proudly sponsored
by ANZ, Australia Post, Avril Henry Pty Ltd and Living Now Magazine.
Their financial support of these Awards particularly in the current
economic climate is testament to the significance of these Awards for
women in the Australian community.
More details of these women leaders and the Award can be accessed at
www.leadershipforwomen.com.au
<http://www.leadershipforwomen.com.au/>