“Be annoying”. This was the key message that Bri Lee, academic, writer and activist, shared with us during this year’s Women in Super National Road Show. She gave all who attended a masterclass in what it takes to be an advocate, by reminding us that we don’t have to be liked all the time. In fact annoying the right people is a key part of making change.
Bri has created significant change throughout her career. She was instrumental in changing consent laws in Queensland, and she was also one of the key players in Australia’s #MeToo movement. She now runs Freadom Inside, a project that provides books to women incarcerated in NSW prisons.
Speaking to rooms across the country, Bri advised us all to advocate for change by looking at work that is being already being done, and lending our weight to the snowball. The bigger this snowball becomes, the more pressure there is to make things happen, until it can no longer be ignored. We are not individual voices, and working together we are much stronger than standing alone.
It is also particularly important for those who have privilege to use it on behalf of those who don’t.
Bri's second lesson of being an advocate, is that you never know who is listening. Using the example of her own experience as a judge’s associate in the early stages of her legal career, hearing a victim impact statement that resonated with her deeply on a personal level. She was not the intended audience for this statement, and yet what she heard, and the effects it had on her, has remained with her since.
This was a powerful reminder that it is so important to speak up – regardless of what room you are in. There just might be someone who needs to hear what you have to say.
Women in Super will continue adding our weight to the snowball seeking fairer retirement outcomes for women, and we encourage all of our members to do the same.