Marching Forward – International Women’s Day

At Energy Safe, we celebrate our colleague’s experiences and successes, recognising the value our people contribute in the challenges they’ve overcome, and expertise they bring.

On International Women’s Day, we spoke with our people about overcoming obstacles in their industries, as well as embracing Energy Safe as an inclusive regulator where they and all of our people feel encouraged to bring their whole selves to work.

Together our people march forward for a future that is inclusive and equitable for all.

From working in an Italian restaurant to running her own dance company and navigating complex corporate environments, Heidi’s journey has been shaped by both challenges and triumphs.

In 2018, Heidi’s career took a positive turn when she joined Energy Safe Victoria. For the first time in years, she felt valued in the workplace for her skills.

“While I had heard of changes happening in the workplace environment, I didn’t think it would actually happen. Energy Safe gave me renewed faith in a better future for women.”

Today, Heidi is a passionate advocate for women and girls.

“It’s so important to speak up if you feel uncomfortable. We need to hold others accountable as well as ourselves,” she says.

Reflecting on this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “March Forward,” Heidi is inspired by her own journey as a mother of an ambitious young woman.

“I hope the changes unfolding make life a little easier for my daughter, so she can focus on her work, family, and what she loves to do.”

— Heidi, Communications Officer

For Gwen, success is not just about achievement—it’s about struggle, growth, and resilience.

Head of Investigations at Energy Safe, Gwen’s professional journey began in the ‘80s, a time when equal opportunities for women were scarce and change was slow. After initially dropping out of university , she returned with renewed determination and joined the Army in 1986. But while the organisation actively recruited women, the reality was far from welcoming.

"My enthusiastic youth was greeted with hostility and open discrimination. It was miserable," she recalls. “A short five years was enough to learn an inner toughness, ignore the barriers, and move on.”

Entering policing in 1999, Gwen witnessed firsthand a gradual shift as interpersonal skills became valued over physical ability.

While the progress was evident, she understood that true change required persistence and the willingness to challenge outdated norms.

Throughout her career, Gwen has remained committed to personal and professional growth.

"Keeping physically fit and mentally challenged, striving toward goals and especially not being afraid of failure or rejection (trying again and again), has been a strategy for growth over a very long career in mostly government agencies."

She embraces challenges, understanding that setbacks are not roadblocks but stepping stones to success. For Gwen, the real fear is stagnation.

“What would be frightening,” she says, “is decline and death by comfort.“

— Gwen, Head of Investigations

From her first job at a newsagency to an 18-year career in policing, and now a role in law, Tracey’s journey as a woman in the workforce has been rife with challenges and transformation.

Over the years, her understanding of being a woman in a male-dominated field has evolved — “from relative ignorance of the challenges I would face,” she says, “to experiences that have variously disappointed, shocked, saddened, enraged, resigned and emboldened me.”

In policing, Tracey recalls harassment disguised often as humour, and gendered stereotypes well ingrained in the culture.

“The hardest thing to deal with was the everyday actions and comments that made me feel I had to prove myself before being afforded respect. I was still a girl, after all. For some people, that was all they saw.”

Today, Tracey is grateful to work at Energy Safe, where she feels valued for her skills as Prosecutions Manager, rather than judged by her gender. “This is a credit to Energy Safe for fostering that environment, but most of all to the men and women who lead the way every day with kindness and respect.”

With respect to International Women’s Day this month, Tracey’s story reminds us to celebrate the progress made for gender equality, while acknowledging that more work remains. We remain hopeful for a more inclusive, equal future for all.

— Tracey, Prosecutions Manager