Women in Print NSW patron Debbie Burgess, who was a panel speaker at The Future of Women in Western Sydney Summit, said she was proud that women were finally getting to a place where they could “come to the table” to celebrate the things that matter. 

The event was held at the CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on International Women’s Day.

Burgess, who was discussing the topic of Entrepreneurial Women – Past, Present and Future at the Summit, said, “The more we listen to stories about the women who have succeeded, and the more we celebrate our stories and celebrate ourselves, the more we can bring to the table.”

She was joined by panelists Sandra Orlando, Wendy El-Khoury and Rebecca Pham, with the topic facilitated by KPMG Greater Western Sydney geographic lead Kaylene Hubbard.

Burgess shared how she had started a career in law, and then went to ‘temporarily’ work with her father at Bright Print Group, where 34 years later, she still remains, now holding the position of joint managing director and is a certified public accountant.

She admitted that she experienced countless incidents over many years in her career where there was an obvious bias against women.

“It took a while to find my voice in an industry that wasn’t used to having women involved in it, and for me to be recognised as myself and not as my father’s daughter,” she said, pointing out happily that, “30 years on, it is great to see that we can gather at events like this to celebrate the importance of what we do as women.”

Her take on entrepreneurship is about “being bold and not looking at setbacks as problems necessarily but reframing thinking to see them as challenges”.

“It’s about putting things into context and making sure that we bring the best of ourselves to the table regardless of what we’re doing. It doesn’t matter whether we’re a small business and must front up to the bank manager for the first time to get a loan, or whether we are a larger organisation – it’s all about just making sure that we bring ourselves to the table every time,” she said.

Attendees at the Women in Western Sydney Summit, were there to also network and hear talks about the impact of government policy, education, infrastructure and non-traditional roles, economic security and politics and were welcomed to the event by founding director Amanda Rose.

Aunty Kerrie Kenton gave the Welcome to Country ceremony, with the Opening Address delivered by Bronnie Taylor, Minister for Women, Regional Health and Mental Health.

Other panel discussions centred around the topics of diversity and politics, bias by design, next-generation youth pathways and a sustainable future.

“Better opportunities and more economic security for women is intimately tied to greater well-being and better financial outcomes for society as a whole,” Rose said.

“This is why we advocate for women to be involved in a genuine and equitable way with all aspects of the process when it comes to deciding the future direction of Western Sydney. Without the input of Western Sydney women, stakeholders miss out on key viewpoints that are critical to the region’s future success.”

She added that as the third largest economy in Australia, the fast-growing and diverse region of Western Sydney is quickly becoming a powerhouse of the nation’s future prosperity.

Home to 2.5 million people, Western Sydney contributes $157.21 billion to the state economy through its three major industries: manufacturing, financial services, and logistics. With big projects like a new airport and key infrastructure developments in the works, government and business interests are increasingly invested in the region’s massive potential.

“This potential can’t be unlocked; however without looking at Western Sydney, its opportunities, potential, development and policies through the lens of a woman, we are alienating and essentially ignoring half of the population,” Rose said.

“Only when we have women in political, business and community boards and positions can we effectively advocate for those who are from low income and disadvantaged families, many of whom are non-English speaking migrants and prepare the next generation of young women to have the same opportunities as the opposite sex.”

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