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 has over 10 years experience as an organiser and campaigner, and is a proud trade unionist and activist.

Aira has held pivotal roles within the union movement in Australia and internationally, and has led the national advocacy to improve the living and working conditions of migrants and refugees 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.

Aira has also 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. She speaks English and Bahasa Malaysia.

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.

Yen is a writer and researcher whose work has spanned journalism, academia and advocacy. She holds degrees from Harvard University, the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her investigative and literary writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times and n+1, and has received national recognition, including the Woollahra Digital Literary Award.

At Working Women’s Centre Australia, Yen works on national policy, advocacy and law reform initiatives. Drawing on her background in research and writing, she supports the Centre’s efforts to strengthen workplace rights, advance gender equality and drive systemic reform.

Emma is the Executive Assistant at Working Women’s Centre Australia (WWCA) and a long-time advocate for women’s rights, workplace justice, and intersectional approaches to gender, race and class equity.

Prior to joining WWCA, Emma worked as a Victim Services Worker with Archway Society for Domestic Peace in British Columbia, Canada. She has also worked with the Australian Services Union and previously served as both a Client Services Officer and volunteer with the South Australian Working Women’s Centre, reflecting her longstanding commitment to supporting women and advancing social justice.

Emma works part-time at WWCA while completing a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Gender Studies, at the University of Adelaide. Passionate about advancing gender equality and strengthening workers’ rights, she is committed to helping build a more just and equitable society. Emma believes meaningful and lasting change is achieved through solidarity, collective action, and community-led advocacy.