QUT strives to create an environment that is fully inclusive of all people and respects the individuality of all staff and students to ensure an equal, equitable and diverse teaching and research environment.
The QUT Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Symposium aims to advance gender equity, diversity and inclusion in the university setting.
The first QUT event of its kind, the symposium brings together voices of local and national university leaders and experts in gender equity and diversity, and people with different lived experiences through a series of presentations, plenary and panel discussions.
Who should attend?
The 2024 symposium is a unique opportunity for gender equity champions to connect and collectively identify the challenges and the positives of diversity within the Higher Education community.
Keynote speaker
Dr Elise Stephenson
Fixing systems, not women: avoiding missteps and accelerating action
Dr Elise Stephenson is the Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, founded and chaired by former prime minister Julia Gillard. She is a multi award-winning political scientist, entrepreneur and gender researcher whose work focuses gender equality at the frontiers – from international affairs, to AI, climate, national security and beyond.
Her new book, The Face of the Nation: Gendered Institutions in International Affairs (Oxford University Press) was recently launched by the first female foreign minister, Julie Bishop, and is awarded the 2024 International Studies Association Bertha Lutz Prize for best public writing on women in diplomacy. She is awarded by Google as one of Australia's Top 50 Outstanding LGBTIQ+ Leaders, the United Nations Australia Association as a Community Awardee, and is a 3x university medalist. She was awarded the 2022/23 Fulbright Fellowship to study diversity in the space sector in the US last year, at the University of Washington, and is a 2014 New Colombo Plan Alumni of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Since joining the ANU in 2021, she has led over $3m in research projects with partners like the Office for Women (federal and Victoria), DFAT, E-Safety Commissioner, Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Australian Federal Police, National Intelligence Community and more. Prior to joining the ANU, Elise was a researcher in the Policy Innovation Hub and $5 million Climate Action Beacon at Griffith University, working around climate justice and policy innovation, particularly focusing on women, youth, rural communities and the Asia Pacific. She is the board director of design and strategy studio, Social Good Outpost Pty Ltd.
Keynote Synopsis
In our rapidly evolving world, where everything from artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly shapes our decisions, emerging conflicts throw existing plans out the window, and climate change threatens our planet, achieving true gender equality remains an urgent but sometimes overlooked challenge. This talk delves into the intersection of gender equality and policy to explore both the progress we’ve made and the pitfalls we must avoid. Drawing on insights from recent world-leading research from the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, founded and chaired by Julia Gillard, and real-world examples, we’ll focus in on tangible and actionable steps that navigate backlash and uncertainty and promote equity across diverse fields. Join us as we chart a course toward a more just and sustainable future.
Register now
