Australia Post celebrates the centenary of International Women's Day
Tuesday, 01 March 2011
A message from our CEO
International Women's Day is a day for the entire community - women and men, companies and community groups alike.
It is a global day which celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women and an opportunity to look ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.
Australia Post is proud to be supporting the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day (IWD).
Equal treatment of women and men is not just the right thing to do - it is also good for business and for our society. Encouraging the full participation of women in our enterprises, and in the community, makes good sense because it leads to a greater diversity of opinion and improvements in our collective decision-making.
At Australia Post, we have a strong Equal Employment Opportunity program that is built on our corporate Workforce Diversity Business Strategy. As a result, we are committed to ensuring that women of all ages and backgrounds are represented at all levels within our business - from entry level to executive. Read some stories about the extraordinary women of Australia Post.
Read on to learn about the variety of ways that we are demonstrating our support for this important day.
- Putting our stamp on International Women's Day
- Raising funds for UN Women
- Events and activities around the country
Ahmed Fahour
CEO and MD Australia Post
Putting our stamp on International Women's Day
Australia Post is commemorating the centenary of IWD with the release of a stamp issue.
The stamp recognises the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future and is an indelible channel through which we can promote positive change and raise awareness of the issues women face in their everyday lives.
Australia Post has a proud history of promoting women on stamps including the recent Australian Legends stamp issue featuring four eminent women - Eva Cox, Elizabeth Evatt, Germaine Greer and Anne Summers.
The IWD stamp features a combination of images and graphic elements, including the symbol for women.
The IWD stamps are available for purchase in Australia Post retail outlets nationally, as well as through our online shop.
Raising funds for UN Women
As an Amethyst partner of UN Women, we are selling fundraising merchandise through our corporate retail outlets around the country.
This merchandise includes IWD pens, brooches and purple ribbons.
The funds raised through the sale of this merchandise will go towards UN Women's democratic governance programs which focus on advancing women's leadership and their political participation.
Find out more about UN Women and International Women's Day
Events and activities around the country:
Australia Post is hosting a series of events and activities around the country to celebrate 100 years of IWD. These events will recognise the progress that has been made within our own business in the advancement of women, as well as highlight the challenges that women still face in Australia and abroad.
Events and activities will include:
- Fundraising events
Localised fundraising morning teas will be held at many of our facilties and administrative centres, as well as a major staff event at our corporate headquarters in Melbourne.
- Fitted for work
All Australia Post people will be invited to participate in a clothing drive for Fitted For Work (FFW), a volunteer organisation committed to helping long-term unemployed and disadvantaged women obtain work, maintain employment and ultimately achieve financial independence.
FFW supports women returning to work who cannot afford the expense of a corporate wardrobe, they also provide presentation and interview advice as well as helping to build self confidence.
Find out more about Fitted for Work
- Customer event
We will host an external customer event to highlight our commitment to progressing with the advancement of women across our own business.
The theme of the event will be "board quotas - smart thinking or useless tinkering" and will be facilitated by comedian Cal Wilson who will facilitate a serious discussion with some levity as well.
The event will be hosted by Ahmed Fahour, Managing Director and CEO of Australia Post.