Make It Free

︎ ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN, COALITION, LEADERSHIP

Bringing together 200 businesses to back the call for ECEC reform.

“The arrival of a child reduces women’s earnings by around 55 per cent in the first 5 years, while men’s earnings are not significantly affected.” 2023 Children and the Gender Earnings Gap: Evidence for Australia, The Australian Government Treasury
Too much. Too hard. Too late. The motherhood penalty is real. I chose to flip the script and take action. I brought together the brightest minds I knew to help overcome one of the biggest obstacles.

The result was an innovative solution: Make It Free, a coalition of predominantly women-led businesses spearheading a call to make early childhood education and care, free.

Leadership:
I brought together a diverse group of people to harness the power of individual thinking and backgrounds to add value and drive change.

Entrepreneurial drive:
I tackled this big problem with an innovative mindset and an openness to approaching a problem with an alternative solution.

Growth, adaption and courage:
Turning passion into action takes courage. I constantly asked the right questions and facilitated conversations to keep momentum and carve a path forward.

IMPACT
An evidence-based and economic-focused campaign for free childcare.

With key support from Verve Super, The Parenthood, Logie Interiors, Shebah, Pirkx and Her Lawyer, over 2000 parents and more than 200 businesses signed on to support the campaign.

Media coverage in major outlets, ABC, Financial Review, SMH, Women’s Agenda, Smart Company and more.

Hosted an online Think Tank with Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, The Australia Institute, Lisa Bryant, Early Education Consultant, Mehreen Faruqi, Federal Senator for New South Wales, Eva Cox AO, Writer, Feminist, Sociologist, Social Commentator and Activist and Kristine Ziwica, Journalist, Columnist and Consultant

Make It Free added to the conversation, influencing the political agenda for the election, and we continue to see positive change from our current government.

RESULTS_

Over 15 articles published across leading media outlets.
3 News (Ch7 & ABC) appearances.
2,000+ businesses got behind the campaign, supported the movement, signed the petition, and shared it across socials.
UN Women supported the movement.
Too many social shares to count.
1 white paper with 109 contributers.
And, we’re now at the point where the Government cannot ignore the issue any longer.

Special thanks to Alex Andrews, Carmen Hawker, Carlie Logie, Georgie Dent, Courtney Bowie, and Oonagh Cuthill.