Today is International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It is an opportunity to raise awareness about women's equality, advocate change and support other women.

This year's theme is Choose to Challenge. This encapsulates the importance of speaking up, calling out gender bias, inequality and the poor treatment of women. This theme is highly appropriate this year, given important national focus on the treatment of women in Federal Parliament, namely Brittany Higgins, and the culture that needs to be challenged, exposed and changed, even at the highest levels of government.

The theme this year is incredibly relevant to our nation, given our Australian of the Year, Grace Tame. Her courage, convictions and fearless pursuit of justice demonstrates the importance of choosing to challenge, for both current and future generations of women.

Women comprise 90% of our workforce, and are represented at all levels of the organisation, from practitioner and front-line staff, administrative and corporate roles through to our leadership group, and our CatholicCare Advisory Council, chaired by a woman.  I take this opportunity to thank all our staff for the wonderful work that you do each day for CatholicCare and the people we serve. Today, International Women's Day, and every day, we salute and celebrate the fantastic contribution and talents of our CatholicCare Women, and indeed women throughout the world.

Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.  From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge.

#IWD2021 #ChooseToChallenge