Brooker Executive Perspective:
Julie Kun, Chair of Gender Equity Victoria (GEN Vic)
Julie Kun is a social change specialist who has spent more than two decades translating vision into action across the community services sector. As Chair of Gender Equity Victoria (GEN Vic) – the independent peak body for organisations and individuals promoting gender equity in Victoria. GEN Vic’s vision is for a gender equal society where all people can thrive. Julie brings a systems lens to some of the sector’s most complex challenges.
Through her consulting work, Julie partners with organisations to deliver strategies, projects and reports that create lasting impact. Her approach is intersectional, evidence-informed and lived experience–grounded. She partners with not-for profits, peak organisations, social enterprises, government and business on gender and disability justice, intersectional practice, family, domestic and gendered violence, and economic abuse and gendered financial wellbeing. Her philosophy is grounded in working with the heart, head and hands—bringing compassion, evidence, and action together to create lasting social impact.
In this conversation, Julie reflects on leadership, lived experience, and what it takes to create meaningful change in a complex and evolving sector.
Leighton: Thinking back to early in your career—was there a leader who had a lasting impact on you?
Julie: Yes, and it’s probably someone you wouldn’t know. Her name was Talya Pasmanik. She was a senior social worker in my second social work job, when I’d only been qualified for about a year and a half.
I remember working with a family in crisis and running into her office saying, “My God, this is happening—we’ve got to do something now.” And she sat me down and said: “Your clients are in crisis. You’re paid not to be in crisis.”
That has stayed with me my whole career.
Having empathy and compassion for clients doesn’t mean making it about you and becoming so absorbed that you can’t see a pathway forward. I’ve taken that with me, not just in working with individuals, but into executive decision-making as well.
Leighton: I read on one of your LinkedIn posts that you have dyslexia. Can you share what that’s meant for you across your career?
Julie: Having dyslexia has meant I’ve had to work really hard. That preparedness to work hard has opened doors, but it has also made parts of the journey more difficult.
When I finished Year 11, my English teacher told my father that I shouldn’t continue on to do VCE because my spelling and writing weren’t good enough.
I was lucky that my father, a teacher himself, challenged that. He asked, “What subject has she failed that she is going to do in VCE?” The answer was “nothing”. My teacher missed my intelligence because she couldn’t see past my poor handwriting and spelling.
I did VCE and passed but if I had taken the teacher’s advice, so many opportunities would have been closed off. It would have been much harder to go to university, to gain qualifications, and to access the roles I’ve had.
That experience has stayed with me. It showed me how quickly assumptions are made about capability and capacity based on stereotypes and what’s immediately visible.
Now as I lead, I’m always asking—how are people being underestimated and misjudged? What can I do to bring systemic, behavioural, organisational and programmatic change so that people have genuine opportunities and can participate fully?
Leighton: You’ve held a range of roles—board chair, consultant, academic, and CEO. What brings you the most satisfaction at this stage of your career?
Julie: It’s social justice work—pure and simple.
I really value being able to do things that make a positive difference in people’s lives. A big part of that is making good decisions using a compassionate framework.
When I’m working through a decision, I collect information from a wide range of sources centred around lived experience to understand:
– What are the needs of the organisation?
– What are the needs of the people we serve?
– What are the needs for staff collectively and individually?
– What are the needs of people experiencing the most marginalisation?
– What are my needs?
– And what are the needs for all stakeholders, including funders?
Only then do I ask—what is the best possible outcome?
That framework allows me to make difficult decisions when necessary, but in a way that is grounded in achieving the best social justice outcome.
This structured decision making is something I use everywhere—on boards, in consulting, and even in family decisions at home.
Leighton: What’s giving you optimism in the community services sector right now?
Julie: We have the most skilled workforce we’ve ever had, with real depth of experience and capability across the sector. Importantly, there is now a growing recognition of the value of lived experience. In the past, lived experience was often seen as a barrier to employment. Now we’re seeing the strengths it brings. That shift is significant, even though there is still work to do.
Another important change is in leadership development. When I became a not-for-profit manager, I had no formal management training. The pathway was simple: be strong in frontline work, then be promoted into leadership—but it’s a completely different skill set.
Today, there is far greater recognition that people need support to make that transition. Programs like those offered by Safe and Equal are helping to build capability and confidence.
Previously, people would move into management, often burnout within a year, and leave feeling like they had failed—when in reality they simply hadn’t been supported. Again we need to be doing more and have more funded management and leadership programs but there is recognition that managers need support.
Leighton: Looking ahead, what emerging trends do you think will most impact the sector over the next decade?
Julie: One is the backlash against gender equity, diversity and inclusion and marginalised communities.
We are seeing harmful, inaccurate narratives gaining traction and given more legitimacy in the media and in conversations. This creates real pressure in a social justice sector already asked to do more with less.
Another factor is shifting government priorities, with priorities appearing to be moving away from supporting the work of community services in some areas. That will inevitably have an impact on capacity and delivery across the sector.
And then there’s AI.
AI brings both opportunity and risk. It will fundamentally change how we work. I’m already using it and can see its potential. It is great for a person with dyslexia but we need to approach it with our eyes open.
The question is not whether we adopt it, but how we use it to strengthen what we do—and to understand where and how it may introduce unintended negative consequences and what we can do to mitigate those.
It’s an area I’m keen to continue my engagement as AI continues to evolve.
Julie, thank you for sharing your insights and experience with us.
– Leighton Cantrill
For more information, visit Gender Equity Victoria (GEN Vic) or connect with Julie Kun on LinkedIn.