We're honored to have been part of the Specialist Contractors Association Women in Construction Annual Networking Event last week, alongside NECA SA/NT, RACCA Australia, AMCA Australia and National Fire Industry Association of Australia. We've received wonderful feedback from many attendees, who were happy to be amongst women in their own industry, but also pleasantly surprised to see a high number of men supporting the event as well.

We learned some excellent lessons from keynote speaker Christina Coleiro, Associate Director of Major Projects, Facilities Management at University of South Australia. In line with the theme "Creating Cultural Change in the Construction Industry", we took away three lessons:
1. Consider the the qualifications AND values of your potential members when creating a team
2. Examine the lasting impact of the project you're undertaking, not just profit
3. In a team, there is no saying "I have a problem", it's "we have a problem"

The panelists Emma Clark (Design Manager, Built.), Irma Beganovic (National Director of Government Relations, NECA) and Emily Watson (Service and Maintenance Coordinator, NSG BOFFA) prompted all attendees to consider the barriers facing women in the construction industry, such as uneven childcare responsibilities, sexism on site and health issues like endometriosis or PCOS.

We must build on the foundations that have been created by those before us to make construction a safe and appealing industry for women. We're happy to say though with nearly 150 people in attendance at the event, the future is looking bright!