The Australian government is ending the Women in STEM Ambassador initiative after almost six years of operation, a move that has been described as “another blow” for advocates.
Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith began her role as the Women in STEM Ambassador in 2018, a government initiative in collaboration with UNSW and other stakeholders.
Over that time, she conducted research and advocated for better diversity and inclusion in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors.
But tomorrow, Friday May 31, is the last day of operations for the Women in STEM Ambassador.
“After five-and-a-half years of research, advocacy, advice, programs and public engagement on equity in STEM, the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador initiative will conclude this Friday, 31 May 2024,” Professor Harvey-Smith wrote in a message to those working in the space.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks for your collaboration, support, and dedication in this space. Together, we have made a significant impact on a national scale.”
The number of women working in STEM-qualified occupations increased by 38 per cent between 2018 – when the Women in STEM Ambassador initiative kicked off – and 2022. This is compared to a 10 per cent increase amongst men.
Women enrolling in STEM courses also increased from 77,673 to 92,162 over 2018-2021, an increase of 18 per cent – whereas men’s enrolments experienced a 9 per cent increase.
“I hope that national data will include other gender identities in future,” Professor Harvey-Smith said.
The team working for the Women in STEM Ambassador have been putting together the final research projects, reviews of workplace inclusion initiatives and analyses over the last few months, and Professor Harvey-Smith said the “valuable insights” from them will be available “as we complete them”.
Some of the reports, tools and other resources produced by the Women in STEM Ambassador initiative will be “migrated to dedicated pages that will be managed by UNSW”, and its social media pages will “no longer be active but will remain online as a legacy resource”.
“Being surrounded every day by people who are passionate and dedicated to removing barriers to equity in STEM has been a tremendous privilege,” Professor Harvey-Smith said.
“Thank you for your continued support, and for your own important work in this space.”
Professor Harvey-Smith said she will continue her work to advance gender equality in the STEM industry as a Professor of Practice at UNSW Sydney, while the functions and responsibilities of the Women in STEM Ambassador will be amalgamated into other government programs.
The Women in STEM Ambassador was an initiative launched and funded by the Australian government in 2018. The Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic thanked Professor Harvey-Smith and her team for their “important work to support Australian women and girls in STEM”.
“Professor Harvey-Smith’s work has been important in helping us understand how to support more girls and women to thrive in STEM,” Minister Husic said.
“We need more women and people from diverse backgrounds joining our STEM sector, so that more Australians can go into secure, well-paid jobs.”
‘They’ve turned their backs on us.’
In February this year, the Pathway of Diversity in STEM Review gave 11 recommendations to increase diversity in the industry, which Minister Husic said the government is committed to do.
But Sarah Moran, the CEO of Girl Geek Academy, said this commitment is hard to believe, especially upon the closure of the Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador.
“It’s another blow after a series of knocks to people who are trying to develop solutions to the problem,” Moran told Women’s Agenda.
“It’s hard to feel support for this issue from the government who, when in opposition, suggested that this was something they cared about.
“You have these communities of women, who are doing everything on the smell of an oily rag, who the government has turned their backs on.”
As the CEO of a grassroots organisation championing gender equality in the tech industry, Moran said she feels “disempowered” to continue her advocacy.
“It’s quite obvious that the government doesn’t want to see any change on this,” Moran said. “So why would I bother?
“And now they don’t even have the Women in STEM Ambassador to go to.”
A government spokesperson told Women’s Agenda: “The Albanese Labor Government is investing an additional $38 million to skill-up a diverse Australian STEM workforce, with the additional funding now making a $90 million investment in women and people from diverse backgrounds to engage in STEM and science programs.
“We know a STEM sector that’s rich in diversity yields stronger results, that’s why through this funding we’re ensuring Australians from all walks of life have more opportunities in science and technology,” the spokesperson said.
“Science and tech will be significant drivers of Australia’s future growth and with our strong investment in the sector, we’re ensuring that the women who want to be a part of STEM can be.”
Moran’s organisation Girl Geek Academy made a submission to the government’s Diversity in Stem Review, which took place late last year. Gathering the signatures of more than 50 other grassroots organisations championing gender equality in STEM, Moran’s submission called for the government to enforce organisations who secure government funding to create gender equality action plans for their companies, and to make them publicly available for transparency purposes.