WOMEN OF STEEL

Directed by Robynne Murphy

58 minutes (colour/black & white)

Classification: All ages

A rousing Australian documentary, many years in the making,  that follows a group of determined local women in their  14-year fight for the right to work in Wollongong’s steel industry.

Forty years ago, director Robynne Murphy, one of the leaders of Wollongong’s 1980-1994 Jobs for Women Campaign, joined hundreds of migrant/working class women to take  on  Australia’s most powerful  company BHP – and initially they seemed to have won. But when the 1983 steel slump devastated the city’s economy,  the women  were forced  into the courtroom and onto the streets to face a prolonged battle for equality.

Their struggle plays out against a background of societal changes: from the emergence of the women’s movement and anti-discrimination legislation to the  shifting roles of women in the  home  and in a largely migrant workforce. While showcasing Australia’s history of the steel industry, Women of Steel is above all a story of perseverance and comradeship told with emotion and humour. It offers inspiration to those who seek justice and equality against seemingly impossible odds today.

For more information please visit: https://www.womenofsteelfilm.com/about/

**This program will be hosted via an online streaming service. You will receive additional details closer to the event date’**