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ACT EDUCATOR MAGAZINE
WOMEN WITH CENTS Malisa Lengyel AEU ACT Organiser and Women's Officer
I
nternational Women’s Day was a celebration to remember with guest speaker
Natasha Janssens, founder of Women With Cents, a Canberra-based organisation that empowers women to achieve financial independence.
Natasha shared her financial expertise with attendees, outlining the best and most practical ways to enhance their financial status. For women, superannuation can be a huge financial issue. Women face varying challenges when it comes to making super contributions over the life of their careers, especially as they often have lengths of time off work taking on carer roles. This can leave them with no super contributions during those periods. Natasha provided members with four practical steps to success when it comes to increasing or enhancing super contributions, and a discount for those who attended on her programs to support them in making those changes. Complementary to Natasha's presentation was an information session from Jennie Murray from First State Super, who talked our members through the ways that
AEU ACT BRANCH
First State Super can support women in making the most out of their super contributions. The sessions drove home the vital importance of our current log of claims in addressing the super gap for our members. Overall, the sessions provided members with practical advice, tips and resources to give them greater financial empowerment. Erin O'Connor, a teacher at Mount Stromlo High School, found the session a useful reminder to plan for the future. "As someone in their mid-20s, it’s not something that is on the forefront of my mind but it is a good reminder that every investment I make today can impact my future in a positive way." It was great to meet so many of our members at this event, and through this and other events like it, I look forward to seeing the profile of the AEU Women’s Network growing and evolving over the coming years.