The AAAA has taken a delegation of senior women from across the sector to Canberra to discuss how Australia can attract more women into automotive careers

The AAAA Women Parliamentary Delegation: From left: Ange Wall (Accelerate Automotive), Aileen Hayes (GPC), Barbara Harrison (Amotiv), Priscilla Robb (Penrite Oil), Hiliary Bradbury (Australian Collision Industry Alliance), Fiona Murphy (mycar), Lesley Yates (AAAA), Christina Di Giulio (AAAA), Chelsea Lawson (2026 Women at the Wheel Award Winner).

The AAAA Women Parliamentary Delegation met with senior representatives from both sides of politics at Parliament House recently, including Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Dr Andrew Leigh, Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume, and offices representing senior Shadow Ministers.
Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, Lesley Yates, said the delegation had one central message: Australia cannot solve its automotive skills shortage by continuing to recruit from the same narrow talent pool.
“We have been talking about the automotive skills shortage for years. There is no single or easy solution, but we need to get much better at attracting talented women,” Lesley said.
“Women currently make up only around three percent of automotive technicians. At the same time, workshops are struggling to find people with the diagnostic, electrical and advanced technical skills needed for modern vehicles.
“That gap is also an opportunity. EVs, advanced diagnostics and increasingly sophisticated vehicle technology are changing what an automotive career looks like. This is our chance to introduce a new generation of women to an industry they may never previously have considered.”
The delegation brought together women across automotive manufacturing, engineering, parts supply, collision repair, service and repair, and vehicle modification.
Rather than presenting government with a single funding request, AAAA Women sought advice from MPs about how industry and government could work together to lift female participation and improve the skills pipeline.
Ideas discussed included giving school students greater exposure to modern automotive technology, increasing the number of female trainers and assessors, better supporting women through apprenticeships, helping small workshops create more inclusive workplaces, and ensuring the automotive aftermarket is recognised in clean economy and workforce strategies.
Lesley said the response from both sides of politics was extremely encouraging.
“The conversation quickly moved beyond acknowledging the problem and to identifying practical ways forward,” Lesley said.
“We discussed apprenticeships, training pathways, workplace culture, government programs and ensuring automotive is included in future workforce decisions.
“Importantly, this was genuinely bipartisan. Government and Opposition representatives asked us to continue the conversation, with several inviting further discussions and visits to automotive businesses.
“This was never intended to be a one-day visit to Parliament. It was the beginning of a much bigger piece of work.”
AAAA Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Charity, said workforce shortages was one of the major challenges facing the automotive aftermarket.
“Independent workshops keep millions of Australians mobile, but finding skilled workers is becoming increasingly difficult,” Stuart said.
“Women remain enormously under-represented in automotive, representing a huge pool of talent our industry has not successfully reached.
“AAAA Women has already demonstrated that women want to connect, contribute and lead. This delegation was an important step towards turning that momentum into greater participation.”
AAAA Women has brought together more than 400 women over the past three years through networking events, technical briefings and ongoing connection programs.
The group will now follow up with ministers, shadow ministers and government departments, explore new partnerships and continue developing practical initiatives to attract and retain more women in automotive.

To learn more about AAAA Women, visit www.aaaa.com.au/aaaa-women/