On investing in women as a national priority

I was born in Britain into a family that just made do. We couldn't afford a car for a long time. And then we got a beat-up, old one. But my Mum had a great passion for helping and giving. She ran a wonderful program, through her church, called the Women's Bright Hour. Every single week they met at the church hall and had a guest speaker or performer, including one of the violinists from the London Symphony Orchestra. My mother ran that for 32 years and it enriched the lives of so many people. When I came to Australia, I became very involved in my day job as a medical researcher within a university, but I always wanted to keep doing what I could to reach out. We set up a wonderful program that one of my previous post-doctoral fellows now runs called Brain Bee in which school kids compete on knowledge of the brain. Wow, those kids almost knew more about the brain than I did! I still visit schools a lot because I believe education is so important. Personally, my husband and I give to charities but, for me, it's more about the time that I've been able to devote and the profile I've been able to share - that has been my way of giving.

Of course, there are other stories to tell. Such as the time that $100,000 ‘fell into my lap’ to give to a charity of my choice.

When I was the Chief Scientist of Western Australia, I received a message to visit the Governor of Western Australia and my first thought was, ‘Oh no, what have I done?’ The Honourable Malcolm McCusker AC CVO KC had set up a Governor's giving award and as the second recipient was for me to choose a charity or charities to receive the funding. I wanted something that would continue to build so we gave $50,000 to the West Australian Museum to set up a program to teach museum skills to Indigenous young people especially those from remote communities so they would learn the skills to set up their own museum or gallery if they wished to or to go and work anywhere around the world. It’s been a brilliant program that has attracted lots of other funding. The other $50,000 we used to set up a PhD scholarship program to study recovery from brain damage with one of the best groups in the world, based in Western Australia. They were doing great work, but needed a research component to systematically record their activities, make them even better, share their knowledge with the world and learn from others. We leveraged the initial funding six-fold, to $3 million, and now the organisation has established a large research program that studies not only recovery from brain damage, but all aspects of care for the aged and those at a disadvantage.

I heard a wonderful quote the other day - ‘If you have the opportunity, you have the responsibility.’ I think that sums it up. I have been hugely lucky. I came through an education system in Britain that was free. Somehow, I managed to just get over the hurdles at each stage and out the other end. Then I came to Western Australia where I received government and other funding to set up and lead a research group. I have been incredibly lucky in my life, but so many other people don't have that advantage. If I had to sum it up, I want most that the next ‘little Lyn Beazley’ and others like her, wherever he or she is – possibly struggling because teachers come and go or are teaching outside subjects – to flourish and give back to the community.

I was recently speaking at a graduation ceremony for a university here in Western Australia and I challenged the students to do something each day to help make the planet a better place. It might be a kindness to your family or a stranger. It could be local, state, national or global. But do something with the skills and the opportunities you have to help make the world better. That's the rent we pay for a place on earth. I always say line up your head, your heart and your gut. Once you've done that, it has to make sense in your brain, your heart should beat faster and it must feel right. When those things align, you’re off and running. But to give is the greatest gift we have.

I would answer this in two ways. The first is financially. My husband, Richard and I give to The Smith Family because I want every kid to have a chance and so many don’t. We also support Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) because Richard is a doctor and knows the great things they do. We support Amnesty International because so many people braver than me are locked up around the world. We also support the arts because I believe that a truly rounded, socially responsible and culturally adept community embraces the arts. And then there are other smaller organisations that I support, women's groups and the like. Before I tell you about the other way I give, let me tell you a story about the power of putting money on the table.

I was lucky enough to be West Australian of the Year in 2015. I went to Canberra for the ceremony to announce the overall national award where I met a far more worthy winner than me, Rosie Batty. I asked Rosie what I could do to help. She told me that two thirds of women go back to abusive situations because the man controls the finances. She asked if I could do something about financial literacy. Back in Perth, with three wonderful women, we each put $500 on the table. From there, we formed a group of 10 women and two chaps and set up what was then called the Financial Toolbox. It’s now called Yourtoolkit.com and it has evolved into an amazing, free online tool that provides advice for women facing domestic and/or financial abuse. These include how to stay safe in case you need to leave, how to access help before and after fleeing a situation and ultimately, how to thrive. We have now been funded by the Department of Communities and Lottery West, and we have just received $1.25 million as a grant to extend the program nationally because so many people from elsewhere in Australia are accessing the WA-focussed website. When we started, I had no idea the stories I was going to hear. We spent two years talking to people with lived experience. Then we received a small grant and built from there. We also did our homework. We had a lawyer who gave her time, we had an accountant, our first Board had specialists who could advise us. And now it’s morphed into an incredible resource. Giving doesn’t always have to mean a large amount of money. If you have lots, give lots, but you can give a small amount and then leverage it. I call it the dollar on a string. You put it out there and you get a matching dollar and then you put it out again and get another matching dollar and you just keep building like that. [1] When you have great people and great need, then magic can happen. You can make it work. Head, heart, gut, and you're off.

The other way I give is through my time. I am a patron of lots of organisations. I see my diary absolutely crammed each day and that’s great. Because I was lucky enough to be the Chief Scientist so many people know me and, if they know I’m backing something, then at least we're over the first hurdle of credibility and trust.

That you won't ever know how much you've helped. Most of the things you do, you won't get that feedback. You can audit programs, and I’m very strong on that, but you might never know the impact of what you do and the time you give to others. But it will have a multiplying effect. It will be a ripple that will spread and grow. Each person you influence and give a chance to change their situation, they can in turn help others. So my reward is every so often hearing people tell me the positive things that have happened because of what I've been able to do. I’m also comfortable that I'm not going to know all of it but I have that reassurance at the end of each day that I have done my bit to try and make the world a better place. And that's a good feeling to have.

It would be great if more people gave. I know that with some charities, Reach Out and Vision Australia for example, most people who give are socioeconomically challenged. It is marvellous when people choose to give anyway but I'd really like to see people across the board realistically looking at what is enough in a society. Do you need a bigger boat? Do you need a bigger car? Do you need a house on the swishest street? Or do you want to feel you've made a difference for people? I don't mean to sound evangelical. I'm not special. It's just the way that I think human beings are. We've evolved to help each other and it's got to continue. So, my ambition would be for more people to see ways they can help. And it won't always be money. It could be using your reputation to give people confidence to carry on and do something. It could be small. It could be large. I belong to a group called Coastal Watch Warriors where we go and pick up all the rubbish that people have left on our shorelines. That's giving because it's protecting the environment. Everyone can give somehow and I think they'll feel better for it, which may sound selfish, but if you are rewarded whilst helping other people, why not?

It’s hugely important because it isn't a level playing field yet. And until it is, we must make sure that women are not held back. When I became Chief Scientist, one particular individual asked me what my priorities would be. I replied that they would be to support regional, rural and remote areas, and particularly women in those areas, because they needed help. And to get more girls into science, technology, engineering and maths because they are great careers and also the country needs them. The response was that they would be the fastest career-ending moves ever. And I said, ‘Too bad, I'm doing it!’ That was back in 2006 and look how far we've come. Nobody would dare say that now. I did it because I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do and it was something I could do. I still meet women who formed groups in the regional centres of Western Australia, all different professions held together by science, and how much it helped. On a world scale, for every year that you educate a woman further when they would have otherwise, she will have on average 1.6 fewer kids. This will make it easier to sustain everyone. Education will not only help her, but it will help her kids and help the planet. Women are an investment. If we see women as a priority, we reach out to 51% of the talent pool. We're not taking greatest advantage of that 51% because too few women enter into the much needed areas of science, technology, engineering and maths. Australia is disadvantaged as a country until we level the playing field. I loved science and lots of girls do, but they drop out of it. We need parents and teachers to support girls for their sake and the sake of Australia. A lot of my initiatives focus on women for equity reasons. Western Australia has the biggest gender pay gap in Australia. It's gone down from 26% to 22% but it’s around only 9% in Victoria. Why the difference? Fewer women become CEOs, vice chancellors, prime ministers or premiers. That pipeline hasn't opened up yet as it has in some other countries. How do we make sure that we have equity in there? Because when we get equity, we will also have opportunities for individuals and for all of us as a community, economically, environmentally, socially and culturally.