Chisholm Institute accounting lecturer Teghan Day knows a few things about the challenges women still face in the workplace. She wore a few hats before she discovered a love of teaching at TAFE, and she still wears a few now.
Day is also AEU subbranch president and treasurer at Chisholm, her department's health and safety rep, an AEU Victorian branch executive member and TAFE and Adult Provision (TAP) councillor.
Taking her activism to the next level, Day recently completed the Anna Stewart Memorial Project with the AEU Victorian Branch and Victorian Trades Hall Council. The two-week program equips women and non-binary unionists with the knowledge and confidence to step up in their workplaces or unions, campaign for women's rights and safety at work, and empower other workers to take action. Participants split their time between their local Trades Hall and their own union. More than a thousand women across Australia have received support from the program since its inception in 1984.
Day says participating in the project had been on her radar for some time: "As a teacher we have to have continuing, ongoing education. For me, this was another learning opportunity, as well as an opportunity to get to know people in other unions."
Anna Stewart was a trailblazing union activist. When she started her union career in 1974, women made up one-third of the workforce but worked mostly low-paid jobs without many entitlements now standard today, like paid maternity leave. Stewart fought for pay equity and women workers' rights until her tragically early death in 1983 at the age of just 35. The memorial project was launched the following year.
Finding time
Despite Day's interest in participating in the project, taking two weeks off work was too much of a challenge — until last year. In 2025, the program was delivered differently in Victoria, making it more accessible.
"Last year, the program was one week in the program, and then a four-week block of normal work, then a follow-up of one week," she says. "It was doable — although I still didn't have anyone to cover my classes, and it involved four hours of travel to get to the program, and I still had to follow up with students."
Day says the program unites a small group of women from a variety of unions to come together and to learn more about unionism. It gives participants the opportunity to develop their leadership and awareness of the ways in which unions can work to address the issues faced by women.
"We started with reviewing the massive achievements of so many strong and inspiring women who have come before us and paved the way for women today."
— Teghan Day, Chisholm Institute accounting lecturer
"We focused on topics that ranged from employee rights, employer duties, health and safety, how to become more involved in your union, and public speaking. We worked collectively on a common goal, building a campaign to rally for this passion. These are great skills to learn and take back to our workplaces, where we can work on resolving issues that are close to our heart.
"I particularly enjoyed the days with the wonderful people who work at the AEU, and obtained more insight into what they do. I was able to attend agreement negotiations, sat in on HR/union consultative meetings with another TAFE, attended in-school union activities, and participated in a rally to properly fund public education."
Finding her way
Just as Day's journey into union activism came on gradually, so did her TAFE teaching career.
"I became a TAFE teacher 19 years ago, following the birth of my eldest child," she says. "I was aiming for a work life balance between being a mum and maintaining my independence as a working woman."
Day's teaching was and continues to be informed by her various careers before taking up teaching. When she left high school, she joined the military at a time when there weren't many women in the army. She says she still benefits from her army training. She then completed an accounting degree and worked in accounting until she hit a glass ceiling. So she switched hats again. Having developed a love of real estate as a teenager, she then became a real estate agent, another area that was male dominated at the time.
When Day first entered teaching, she taught both real estate and accounting. She says the transition from working in a small team environment was daunting: "Coming to the big bureaucratic world of TAFE was very different. Departments are very siloed, and as a teacher we do work a lot independently."
She discovered she loved teaching.
"Teaching suits my personality, being able to work with students and inspire them to take on the learning, encouraging them, helping them with study, helping them be digital savvy."
— Teghan Day, Chisholm Institute accounting lecturer
"I enjoy being able to share my knowledge, inspire my students to step outside their comfort zone, and take on challenges. Studying isn't always easy, especially in today's time-poor world. For those that want to learn, they really get a lot out of my classes. It's great to see their progression."
Finding her union
Her transition was helped by a mentor, whom Day calls her "work mum".
"In my early days, I had one colleague in particular who would go out of her way to help and educate me on how things worked," she says. It was this mentor, Catherine, who introduced her to unionism. "It was through this lady that I was first invited to a union meeting. I learnt quickly that working collectively on key issues was the best approach at TAFE."
She was impressed by the collective movement of colleagues who were otherwise isolated: "We were also highly casualised, and to get an ongoing position as a teacher was rare. The union was involved in the conversion of those positions, and we've had significant change in the years since then."
Day's association with the AEU grew from membership to active involvement.
"Five years ago, the opportunity presented itself for me to become a union representative in our sub-branch. With a little hesitation, I jumped on board," she says, saying she was uncertain about the extra time commitment of the role. "I've always been strong on saying my piece and backing my word, and the integrity side of it was a factor too. I didn't want to be targeted for being more involved in the union, and thankfully it's not been the case."
Finding her place
Day has since thrived in the role: "I've loved helping our members, and I've loved working with great people from the union and the opportunities this role has presented me."
In 2025, her workplace saw 20 per cent growth in union membership. "I'm really proud of that," she says.
Since the implementation of the new employment agreement in July 2025 following a hard-won campaign, Day has been instrumental in helping members understand these changes and how this impacts their role and their workplans, and is working to ensure promised lactation facilities are installed across Chisholm campuses.
"Before we know it, it will be mid-2028, and we'll be working on organising a new agreement," she says.
Day is convinced of the positive difference unions make to TAFE teachers.
"Without all the work year in, year out that the AEU and its members have done, the working conditions at TAFEs would be far different to what we have today."
— Teghan Day, Chisholm Institute accounting lecturer
The Anna Stewart Memorial Project is open to all women and non-binary union members in Australia. Check with your branch for entry details and deadlines.
