The educational issues associated with the development of young women here in Australia were high on the National agenda in the late 70s and early 80s. Many of the inequalities identified at that time have been addressed through a combination of awareness raising, research and changes to State and Federal legislation. And even though the obvious inequalities of the past appear to have been eliminated, they continue to exist in a more subtle form.

This view is supported by research on girls’ education which shows that despite girls’ relative success at school in terms of academic outcomes, this success is not being translated into equal post-school outcomes in employment, education and training and management of risk behaviours.

The proposed conference aims to acknowledge and celebrate the achievement of the past but its main focus will be in the future. We will seek answers to the following questions:

• How can we ensure that our young women continue to make a vital and important contribution to the world?
• How can we continue to enrich their social, creative and intellectual development through extending their skills, vocational opportunities and aspirations?
• How can we develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationship with God, their own society and the richness of human experience?