An interview with Professor Paula Gerber, Monash University

HOW NAWIC BECAME A FORCE FOR CHANGE IN THE AUSTRALIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

An interview with Professor Paula Gerber

Faculty of Law, Monash University & NAWIC Founder (Australia) and Life Member being a camp counsellor at a Californian summer camp. As luck would have it, I won a ‘green card’ in the lottery which the Americans run as part of their immigration program. This enabled me to live and work in the US full time. After passing the California bar exam, I was hired by a boutique construction law firm in Los Angeles, Hunt Ortmann, as their first-ever female attorney. After working for five years as a solicitor in London and five years as an attorney in California, I was head hunted by Mallesons (now King & Wood Mallesons) to join their construction law practice, and decided it was time to return to Australia. I went on to become a partner at Maddocks, before moving from private practice into academia in 2000. I completed a PhD in children’s rights and am now in the fairly unique position of specialising in both international human rights law and construction law. What are your memories of the industry when you commenced your career? When I was working in London in the late 1980s, I was sent by my firm to a building site in the Canary Wharf development, to interview a witness as part of a construction law dispute. The man at the security gate asked me if I was the stripper! It turns out the lads had booked a stripper as part of the send-off for a co-worker who was leaving the job that day to return to Canada. He was shocked when I said I was a solicitor, not a stripper! I don’t think the same mistake would be made today! In my first six years in the industry, I didn’t have one female client and I was often the only woman on the sites I visited. I was often mistaken for a secretary and constantly made to feel like I had to prove myself. On most sites, there were girly pictures on the walls, no female toilet facilities and the men were either very rude or overly protective. I was often spoken down to, including by one lawyer on the other side of a case about concrete. He decided he needed to educate me about the process of mixing cement by likening it to making a cake; something he assumed I should understand, being a woman. It was difficult to know when to call out bad behaviour, because it was the norm. Nevertheless, I loved working in the industry, the people I worked with, the concrete nature of construction and I thoroughly enjoyed going to site. Why did you see the need to establish NAWIC in Australia? I joined the NAWIC Santa Monica chapter during my time working in California, and immediately felt welcomed, supported and

While we still have some way to go to realise NAWIC’s mission of 25% female participation in the construction industry, there’s no denying the sector has evolved in many positive ways over the past 25 years. Barriers have been removed, culture has improved, misconceptions about gender-specific roles have decreased and resources have been created. As a result, a growing number of women are pursing construction careers. The opportunities available today would not be possible without the trailblazers who have inspired, driven change and propelled the industry forward. In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, we pay tribute to the remarkable Professor Paula Gerber; founder of the Australian NAWIC affiliate. We asked Professor Gerber to take a look back and reflect upon her career, her early memories of the construction industry and her reasons for establishing NAWIC in Australia. What inspired you to pursue a career in construction law? Like many others, I found myself in the construction industry by chance. After completing my law degree at QUT, I was offered a job with the international law firm Baker McKenzie in Canada. I waited in London for my immigration papers to be approved, but the Canadians decided they already had enough lawyers, and so wouldn’t give me a work permit. Baker McKenzie in London came to the rescue. They offered me a role with a partner establishing a construction law practice, and encouraged me to enrol in the brand new Master of Science (Construction Law) King’s College was offering. I am proud to say that I graduated top of my class. I had always wanted to work in the US after spending time

‘at home’. I got to meet a diverse group of women, including architects, engineers, tradeswomen and interior designers. It was a stark contrast from the male dominated environment I spent my days in. NAWIC brought together women of all backgrounds and ages and provided great mentoring and knowledge sharing. When I moved back to Australia, in January 1995, I realised how far we were lagging behind the US, when it came to the number of women involved in construction and the culture of the industry. In America, female pin-ups and men-only toilet facilities were not tolerated. Whilst affirmative action legislation helped attract women into the construction industry, NAWIC’s work also played a part (it was established in 1953). I was determined to try and do something to see more women in construction in Australia and so went about establishing NAWIC in Australia. How did you establish NAWIC in Australia? With the support of Mallesons, I effectively put my career on hold to establish NAWIC. It all began in April 1995, when I organised a breakfast event at Mallesons in Melbourne. 120 women attended many of whom had such a wonderful time, they didn’t want to leave. Within five months, NAWIC was incorporated. We had over 250 members with chapters in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. Within a year, we had over 600 members Australia-wide and additional chapters in Hobart and Darwin. What did NAWIC look like 25 years ago? It didn’t take long for NAWIC to attract the interest of the Government and construction firms. I met with the then Federal Minister for Construction, Senator Chris Schacht, and outlined NAWIC’s aim of providing a support network for women in construction as well as our strategies to attract and retain women in the industry. Soon after NAWIC received $100,000 in seed funding through AusIndustry. This was followed by a similar sized grant from the Department of Education, which funded the production of a video about careers for girls in construction (called Women on the Rise) which was sent to career counsellors at every government school across Australia. The media also loved NAWIC. I featured in many publications and on radio and television, including the ABC, to promote the association. As our profile grew, more and more companies wanted to be involved. Industry giants, including Multiplex, Lendlease and Fletcher Building, came onboard as sponsors. We also sparked the interest of Qantas who funded an international exchange program for one of our members in partnership with NAWIC US. Under this arrangement, a sparky from Adelaide went to Austin, Texas for a year, whilst an architect from the US came and worked in Brisbane. In the first year, our core activities were meetings and networking events. In our second year we established the NAWIC Awards, an idea borrowed from the US, organised site tours and held monthly dinners with guest speakers. Work experience, educational seminars, mentoring and scholarship programs soon followed. What are your proudest NAWIC achievements? NAWIC forms a wonderful part of my life. I have so many amazing memories, but the standouts would have to be the video, the international exchange program and the awards. NAWIC developed a reputation for holding the industry’s best events. Men would make up approximately 40% of our attendees, because our events were not only educational but also fun. Another achievement I’m particularly proud of was being awarded the US NAWIC Crystal Vision Award in 1996, for my work establishing the Australian affiliate. I was the first non-American to win the award. After four years involvement with NAWIC in the US, and another four years leading NAWIC Australia, I was nervous to step back and I was fearful the association I had worked so hard to build might fall apart. It was, after all, ‘my baby’. However, I was delighted and relieved when other passionate women stepped up and I have relished seeing NAWIC not only thrive but also take off in new directions. I have little involvement with NAWIC these days, due to the demands on my time of three children and a busy career as a professor. But I continue to follow NAWIC, the achievements of its members and its contribution to the construction industry. Where would you like to see NAWIC in 25 years? I have to admit, I am depressed about the slow pace of change in the industry. Despite the benefits women bring to the industry, the macho culture still persists and we are discussing many of the same topics we did 25 years ago. We have made amazing progress, but there remains so much work to do. With that said, I am seeing more positive conversations, and movements such as #metoo are slowly filtering into construction. I hope that in 25 years we see gender equality within the construction industry, such that organisations like NAWIC are no longer relevant or needed. To me, that has always been the measure of NAWIC’s success.