HOT on the heels of a successful national conference, the Older Women’s Network is getting ready to take over Parliament House in Sydney.
The organisation will host a forum there on International Women’s Day, March 8. Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has already been confirmed as a keynote speaker.
OWN president Aloma Fennell said a number of prominent Australian women had also been approached. More than 120 women attended the national conference in Perth, which was opened by Western Australian governor Kerry Sanderson.
One major project to come out of the conference was a letter-writing campaign with a twist. Mrs Fennell said OWN was inviting all women to write a letter to their younger selves.
“The letters can be on any topic – career, education, relationships, marriage, or children,” she said. OWN plans to publish the letters in a book at the completion of the project. “We want our voices heard so that we can have more older women-friendly communities for the next generation,” Mrs Fennell said.
Several focus areas were also discussed, including elder abuse, homelessnes, and nursing home accountability. “We are very concerned about the lack of services for older women,” Mrs Fennell said. “We want to see more action from government that specifically targets the needs of older women.”
