Women in tech groups cut from federal program amid union dispute over unpaid invoices
Two women-led groups have been dumped from a $4.9 million FemTech initative they helped found following a dispute with Professionals Australia over unpaid work.
Two women-led organisations that helped secure nearly $5 million in federal funding to grow female careers in technology have been removed from the project by the union they partnered following a dispute over unpaid invoices.
Correspondence seen by Capital Brief shows Girl Geek Academy and Gender Lens Australia were cut from the $4.9 million FemTech program six months after the agreement to establish it was signed. The exclusion came despite the two groups co-designing the initiative and approaching the tech sector union Professionals Australia (PA) with the opportunity to be involved.
Professionals Australia (PA), designated as lead contractor, denies wrongdoing and said it was currently reviewing partners to ensure the right organisations were in place to deliver the program.
Neither the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) nor PA would confirm how much funding PA has already received.
