Insights from the 2024 Symposium & Inspired Leadership Event Speakers
“Ask not who is my ally, but for whom can I be an ally? “ – Jan Fran
Allyship is a powerful force for creating positive change, especially in workplaces. At the 2024 Australia Women’s Leadership Symposium and Inspired Leadership Series’, inspiring leaders from different fields shared their insights on what it means to be an effective ally. Here are some of the key takeaways to guide your journey toward meaningful allyship.
1.Take Action: Why Imperfect Efforts Matter
Imperfect Action is Better Than No Action
Being an ally requires action, visibility, and a willingness to elevate diverse voices. Waiting for the perfect moment or fearing mistakes can delay much-needed support.
Ben Graetz (founder of BRG Productions, co-festival director of Sydney World Pride 2023 and Creative Director for the National Indigenous Music Awards) highlighted the importance of taking proactive steps: “A part of the role as an ally is to take the load off. Make change through listening, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Elizabeth Lang (founding CEO of Diversity Focus) added, “A true ally has to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” reminding us that growth often happens outside of our comfort zones.
The reality of allyship may sometimes involve risk, as shared by Professor Louise Purton (Head, Stem Cell Regulation Unit, St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research): “I’ve had people who contacted me directly to say they were a big fan of what I was doing, but they couldn’t support me publicly on Twitter (X) because they were worried their grant funding would get sabotaged.” Purton’s experience underscores the need to act even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain.
Ultimately, taking imperfect but intentional action is better than doing nothing. As Purton said, “Don’t not do something because you’re worried, you’re going to offend someone.” Mistakes will happen, but learning from them helps us grow as better allies.
Figure 1 Prof. Louise Purton speaking at the Melbourne Symposium panel
2. Listen to Understand, Not Just to Respond
Start by Building Respectful Relationships
Allyship begins with building respectful, empathetic relationships. Ishara Sahama (Human Geographer; Co-Founder, Echo Impact Group) framed it as “showing up in solidarity with other people”, while Kween Kong (contestant on Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under, Founding Director of the Haus of Kong) urged us to “lead with love.” Respecting others’ experiences and stories, regardless of background, is essential.
Figure 2 L:R Nicole Gollan, Andrew Kay and Kween Kong at the Adelaide Symposium panel
Learn Others’ Stories
Deep listening is a critical part of allyship. “You can’t hate somebody whose story you know,” said Hunter Johnson (CEO & Founder of mental health charity, The Man Cave), who emphasised the value of storytelling to foster empathy. By understanding the lived experiences of others, we can better support them. Tom Monks (disability advocate and Chair of DADAA – Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts, Australia) added, “For me, allyship is about developing a close relationship with someone to promote welfare and wellbeing. Conspire to make changes to those outside of your own ecosystem.”
Fostering respect means building a space where everyone feels supported and appreciated, as Deb Jones (Founding Director of Clubhouse Territory, inclusive community events and projects for all abilities) put it: “Respect is key. It’s about encouraging everyone so they feel welcome and valued.”
3. Champion Diverse Voices and Stories
Listening to and amplifying diverse stories enriches our own understanding and broadens our ability to advocate effectively.
Respect Identities Different Than Yours
As Melanie Tran (Product designer; PhD Researcher; Board of Directors at International Youth Foundation) shared, “Building allies in the workplace is about recognising and celebrating unique perspectives from every individual. It is about creating space for others to tell their own stories and for their voice to be heard.”
One way to practice this is by normalising the sharing of pronouns, which helps create an inclusive environment. Han Worsley (Education Coordinator, Country Universities Centre Snowy Monaro, advocate and proud non-binary person) shared how critical it is to move away from gendered structures to be a better ally to marginalised people in the workplace.
“I strongly believe it is better to be an imperfect ally consistently, and work on your allyship, than it is to be a perfect ally in one area of your life only”, Worsley noted. Supporting marginalised voices isn’t about being flawless—it’s about ongoing effort and openness to learning.
Tahlia Biggs (First Nations Community Engagement Coordinator, Brown’s Mart; Youth Leadership Programs Coordinator, Y Northern Territory; Freelance Creative Performer) shared on considerate and effective allyship: “Think about what you can provide to that person that means they can be their authentic selves.”
4. Turn Your Allyship Into Action
Effective allyship requires more than words; it demands action. Speaking up against discrimination, even when the affected person isn’t present, is a key element of allyship. Han Worsley emphasised, “For me, allyship is a verb—you have to do.”
Figure 3 L:R Rochelle Towart, Dr Shamaruh Mirza, Han Worsley, Wayne Phillips and Eliza Littleton speaking on the Canberra Panel
Education, Safe Spaces and Supportive Policies
Dr Bree Gorman (Managing Director, Bree Gorman Consulting, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion Programs at Deakin University) further broke down the three key things to be a better ally: education, creating psychological safety, and supportive policies.
Educating in the Right Way
“We need to have education, but it can’t stop there. Getting somebody like me in to give a 1 ½ hour session on ‘LGBTQIA+ 101’ and then telling me what you want to say is not going to cut it. It is necessary to have that education if it’s done in the right way, and we’re engaging in conversation and creating space for you to be able to find out how to be the best ally. “
Create Psychological Safety in The Workplace
“[Education] means nothing if you don’t create psychological safety first. We need to have the psychological safety in place for people to get it wrong, or for people to call it out or in, depending on the situation.”
Supportive Policies
“The third thing we need is to have policies and processes around how complaints are managed and not just for when they actually happen, but for people to know that they’re there written in a way that it enables people to be allies and also it enables people to speak up if something happens to them.”
5. Leverage Your Privilege to Drive Change
Lastly, true allyship requires intentional, thoughtful actions. It’s about being present and supportive, even when those you are advocating for aren’t in the room. Emma Bennison MBA GAICD (Chief Innovation Officer at Life without Barriers, Chair of Attitude Foundation, TedX Speaker) captured this sentiment well: “Even when people are not in the room, you have to behave as if they are.”
Cameron Cahill (Director, Gov Insights) echoed this during his panel saying, “When I am in the position of privilege, and I see someone saying something hurtful, harmful or offensive to someone else, I can step in because I don’t have skin in the game. If I can stand in for a moment and be a bridge for that person to be able to gather their thoughts, that’s allyship.”
Allyship isn’t One-Sided
As Dr Bree Gorman reminded us: “Some of the resistance comes up when we ask people to be allies to us, but we are not prepared to also be allies to them.” It’s a two-way street of mutual support and shared growth.
Figure 4 Cam Cahill, Dr Janet Smith, Martine Delaney and Emma Bennison during the Inspired Leadership Series – Tasmania webinar
Creating lasting change requires expanding our circle of allies, as Martine Delaney (Rights Activist & Writer) pointed out: “It’s as much about creating new allies as it is working with the ones we already have.”
Ultimately, allyship is about showing up for others—consistently, empathetically, and with a willingness to take meaningful action.
“It’s not enough to say you aren’t part of the problem; you have to be part of the solution too.” – Andrew Kay (CEO, South Australian Business Chamber and member of the South Australian Gender Pay Gap Taskforce)
Thank you to all the amazing speakers at our 2024 Australian Women’s Leadership Symposiums and Inspired Leadership Series events.
