Our people

Abbey is the CEO of Working Women’s Centre Australia. 

Prior to taking up appointment, she was the Director and Principal Solicitor of the South Australian Working Women’s Centre for just under 6 years. 

Abbey has 15 years of experience in legal practice as an employment and industrial lawyer and has built a reputation as a litigator and strategic advisor in national and smaller labour law firms, working for unions and as a pro bono lawyer and leader in worker and women’s collectives over this time. 

Abbey has dedicated her career to representing and advocating for worker’s rights and has successfully represented workers and unions in major national industrial cases across hospitality, arts, the community sector, construction and mining, retail and professional services. Abbey has been appointed by government at the state and federal level to many strategic governance and specialist advisory board and committees, for example she is a member of the national Respect@Work Council and of the South Australian government’s Gender Pay Gap Taskforce. 

Abbey has played a leadership role in work and IR practitioner organisations, for example, until early 2024 she has been elected as the Vice President of the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association (ALERA) National Executive Committee and the President of the ALERA SA Executive Committee.

Abbey is a feminist unionist and advocates for collectivist gender, sexual and political justice.

Aira Firdaus has over eight years experience as a grassroots campaigner and organiser, and is a proud trade unionist.

She has held pivotal roles within the union movement in Australia and internationally, and has led the national advocacy work in improving the living conditions of migrant and refugee workers in the horticulture industry with the United Workers Union. Aira’s passion is understanding culture, structure and practice to drive collectivism and progressive change in societies and communities. 

She is currently the Treasurer and a Board Member of Vitalstatistix, and has sat on the Advisory Committee of ANROWS’ national study of migrant and refugee women’s experiences, understandings and responses to sexual harassment in the workplace. 

Aira speaks English and Bahasa Malaysia.

Kirsty brings over 10 years of experience in the legal profession as a Paralegal, specialising in employment and industrial law. Her career has been driven by a strong commitment to workers’ rights, leading her to her current role as Executive Assistant at the Working Women’s Centre Australia. With deep rooted union values, she is dedicated to advancing gender equality and supporting women in the workplace. 

Outside of her professional life, she humorously refers to herself as a “washed-up” athlete, having won an athletic scholarship to the University of Denver in the sport of lacrosse.

Thais is a proud Latina and a skilled multilingual communicator who moved to Australia in 2020 to start a new chapter in her life. 

With over 10 years of experience across the private, government, and nonprofit sectors in Australia, Brazil, and Argentina, Thais combines creativity and data-driven insights to lead campaigns, crafting stories that connect with people and drive meaningful change.

Her expertise includes branding, content creation, communication strategies, digital marketing, and project management, with a strong focus on both B2B and B2C communication. Thais is also a National Multicultural Advisory Panel Member at CultureVerse, where she collaborates with government and corporate teams to design communication strategies that engage culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse audiences.

Thais’ commitment to advocacy and equity is deeply rooted in her early experiences in student movements and 1990s Brazilian union activism, which profoundly shaped her perspectives on feminism, democracy, and social justice.

Outside of work, Thais is actively involved with the Brazilian diaspora and multicultural communities in Australia. Volunteering with migrant groups is one of her passions, and she is committed to giving back and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

When she’s not working or volunteering, you’ll find Thais navigating the joys and challenges of raising a teenager, spending time as a grandmother to her dog, dancing, discovering  TV series, or exploring new cuisines.

Jacqui has over 40 years of bookkeeping experience in the not-for-profit sector, including over 28 years of providing long term consultant bookkeeping services to various organisations within the Disability, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander and other Community and Social Service sectors in South Australia.

When Jacqui’s not “sorting out the numbers”, she enjoys reading, cooking, looking after her family and socialising with friends.