Australian gender equality and diversity advocate Jane Thomson OAM is in New York this week, attending the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the United Nations headquarters, coinciding with International Women’s Day.
Thomson is participating as part of the official Australian delegation with UN Women Australia.
Attending CSW70 with partial support from Wine Australia and Australian Women In Wine, Thomson is using the global stage to urge the Australian wine sector to accelerate progress on gender equity at home.
She is calling on businesses to increase awareness and uptake of the Australian Wine Industry Gender Equity Toolkit – a practical guide to help drive meaningful change across the sector.
“We can be proud of the conversations the Australian wine community has started, but conversations don’t change culture on their own,” said Thomson.
“What changes culture is what we choose to implement, measure and lead on day after day, vintage after vintage.
“Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine has given the industry a genuinely useful tool in the Australian Wine Industry Gender Equity Toolkit.
“Now the opportunity – and the responsibility – is on all of us to use it.”
Thomson is calling on everyone in the Australian wine community, from vineyards and wineries to suppliers, distributors, retailers, media, educators and industry bodies, to make a public commitment in 2026 to adopt the Toolkit and take action.
“Here’s my ask: commit publicly, then access the resource and implement it. Not someday. This year,” said Thomson.
“Gender equity isn’t a ‘nice to have’. It’s a leadership issue, a workforce issue, a reputation issue.
“And it’s a competitive advantage when you get it right.”
The Australian Wine Industry Gender Equity Toolkit provides a structured, practical framework to support businesses at different stages of their equity journey. From getting the basics right through to deeper organisational change.
“If the Australian wine industry wants to keep attracting brilliant people – and keep them – we need to build workplaces where women can thrive, lead and stay,” said Thomson. “The Toolkit makes it easier to move from good intentions to real outcomes.”
CSW70 is the United Nations’ principal global forum dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Jane Thomson OAM is the founder of The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society and the founder of Australian Women in Wine and has advocated for gender equality in the Australian wine industry for more than a decade.
Related content