Ita Buttrose has said she will miss her time as Chair of the ABC in her keynote speech at the Women in Media Conference in Sydney.
After announcing her departure as Chair of the national broadcaster last month, Buttrose urged all women in Australia’s media industry to never give up in their careers.
The 81-year-old media veteran began working in the media industry when she was just 15 years old. She became the founding editor of Cleo Magazine in 1972 and edited a number of Australia’s major publications, including the Australian Women’s Weekly and the Daily Telegraph in Sydney.
“Much has been written about my career recently,” she said in her speech on Friday morning.
“I’ve had a terrific career. I’ve enjoyed it.”
Buttrose was appointed chair of the ABC in 2019, following the departure of Justin Milne. Last month, she announced she would not be seeking a second term when her time as chair comes to an end in March 2024.
“I shall miss my time at the ABC. It was an honour to chair,” she said. “All the things I’ve done in my career equipped me for this role. It was a challenging job. I hope I’ve made a difference.”
Buttrose noted recent statistics released in the 2023 Women in Media Industry Insights Report, which revealed more than half of women working in the industry are either dissatisfied or uncertain about their careers. Almost a third of women are considering leaving their jobs in the next 12 months, WIM reported.
“That to me indicates that many of you are thinking of giving up,” Buttrose said.
“You mustn’t do that… women who want to be winners never give up.”
Buttrose said she “never aimed to be one of the boys” throughout her career, despite working in the male-dominated industry under the likes of media tycoon Kerry Packer.
“I’ve always been determined to let the voices of women be heard in Australia,” she said.
“I like to climb mountains, and when I get to the top, I see another mountain beckoning, and the pull of that mountain is so alluring to me that I have to have a go at it.”
During her speech, Buttrose reflected on the recent surge of interest in women’s sports – particularly off the back of the Matildas’ record-breaking performance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup – and how far society has come since she was working on the Sunday Telegraph in the 1980s.
“It didn’t transform overnight,” she reminded everyone.
The current gender pay gap in Australia’s media industry is 16 per cent, above Australia’s national gender pay gap of 13 per cent.
Buttrose said she is proud that the ABC has lowered the gap to 4.3 per cent and encouraged other media organisations to be more transparent in their gender pay gap.
“There is still work to be done, but we are heading in the right direction,” she said.
Women in Media began two decades ago in Perth, where the first Women in Media event attracted 100 attendees. Now, there are more than 6,000 members of the not-for-profit organisation, connecting and empowering women working all over the country in the media industry.
Buttrose, a patron of Women in Media, said organisations like Women in Media who champion diversity and inclusion are vital for the country.
“If we want to reflect Australia, we have to reflect the society in which we live,” she said.
Buttrose was asked by the Women in Media MC, Sandra Sully, what was next for her.
“Let me put it this way,” she said.
“I’ve had three interesting phone calls, and two book publishers want to talk to me.”