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This International Women’s Day, we’re pausing to reflect on women, no matter their background, the journeys they have taken or the challenges they have faced along the way.
UN Women Australia has announced Balance the Scales as the official theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, highlighting the urgent need to ensure fair, inclusive, and accessible justice for every woman and girl.
At Ozcare, we see how this theme plays out in everyday life, not just in striving for equality and justice but in recognising the extra barriers women face and the incredible resilience required to juggle multiple roles, hardships, and responsibilities every day.
Our Ozcare services shine with women caring for others while managing their own challenges, leading teams, building careers, and stepping up when the unexpected happens, proving time and again that resilience, courage, and compassion know no boundaries.
Migrant and Indigenous women who work with us may face additional challenges while navigating these new environments.
Women at Ozcare are also building careers across sectors, from hospitals to aged care and community services to retirement living. Technology and emerging AI tools support this journey, streamlining training, improving communication and reducing administrative burden so staff can spend more time with the people they care for. These tools help overcome language barriers for some staff and ensure their skills and experiences can be fully realised.
Our International Nurses Program is a perfect example. It supports nurses from countries including the Philippines, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong to transition into Queensland’s aged care sector. Participants are mentored as they adapt to Australian culture, clinical standards and aged care practices. Ozcare helps women build long-term, meaningful careers and become AHPRA-registered and approved to Australian standards.
We also see the importance of balancing the scales during high-pressure situations. During Cyclone Jasper, which struck far north Queensland in December 2023, our community care teams were with clients every step of the way. Before the cyclone, staff checked in with clients and families to ensure they had enough medication, water, and supplies for the week ahead. During the cyclone, managers and care leads stayed in constant contact, adjusting schedules, supporting staff and coordinating with Cairns Regional Council and other service providers. Once the all-clear came, staff navigated impacted roads to visit clients, ensuring anyone at risk was safe and supported.
Some of our Ozcare team tell the story of International Women’s Day:
Fiona Power, Facility Manager, Hervey Bay Aged Care Facility: “Many of our staff come from different starting points, culturally, linguistically and professionally. Balancing the scales is about creating a workplace where every woman feels safe, respected and empowered to grow.”
Audrey Moirt, Director of Clinical Services, Canossa Private Hospital: “Our hospital team is multicultural, and that diversity is one of our greatest strengths. Balancing the scales is about giving women from all backgrounds the chance to contribute, lead and be heard in the day-to-day operations of the hospital.
Donna Messer, Community Care, Cairns, Branch Manager: “Balancing the scales isn’t just a theme, it’s what we do every day. During Cyclone Jasper, our teams supported vulnerable women from start to finish, ensuring they were safe, cared for, and had what they needed before, during, and after the storm. The cyclone dumped over two metres of rain in one week in the region. It was the wettest cyclone in Australia’s history.”
Kate Fitzalan, Concierge, Retirement Living, Rendu Towers: “Inequality affects people differently. For Indigenous women especially, barriers can be even greater. Our role is to listen, advocate, and work toward fairer systems every day.”
Balancing the scales is both practical and personal. It happens through inclusive leadership, culturally respectful care, career pathways that meet women where they are, and responsive support when challenges arise.
This International Women’s Day, Ozcare celebrates the women who care, the women who lead and the women whose life stories inspire us. By recognising different starting points, creating opportunities, and honouring the resilience it takes to juggle so much, we’re not just celebrating today; we’re shaping the future.
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