17c起草社区

An advocate for education, Frank Gafa聽currently holds multiple positions and acts as聽a vessel for empowering workers through his聽roles. Gafa works for the National Teachers聽Education Union (NTEU) as a union organiser聽for the Deakin University Branch and Chair of聽the Australian National University Indigenous聽Alumni Network.

Spending his whole career in higher聽education, Gafa moved to Canberra at 18 to聽pursue further study at ANU. In his second聽year of university, he gave a speech for the聽anniversary of the Tjabal Indigenous Higher聽Education Centre and was introduced to聽Professor Mick Dobson, who offered him聽his first proper job in the union sector.

At the聽time, Professor Dobson was sitting on the聽UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues聽and was also named 2009鈥檚 Australian of聽the Year for his commitment to improving the聽lives of Indigenous people and galvanising聽reconciliation between Australia鈥檚 Indigenous聽and non-Indigenous residents.

Fighting for Safe and Accessible Spaces for Everybody in the Queer Community

Gafa identifies as a queer, Aboriginal man聽and is actively striving to fight for safe and聽accessible spaces for everybody in the queer聽community.

Having come out at the age of 17 and聽moving from coastal NSW to Canberra for聽university, the queer community in Canberra聽has shaped 鈥渁 lot of who I am as a person.鈥�

When it comes to labels and informing his聽identity, Gafa recalls that he originally came聽out as bisexual before feeling pressure to聽鈥渃hoose either side.鈥� While comfortable and聽happy with identifying as either bisexual or聽pansexual, he notes the seriousness of bierasure聽and discrimination against bisexual聽people within the queer community.

Proud Union Family

Gafa proudly comes from a union family.聽His mother and sister are educators, and his聽uncles are union members in the steel and聽transport industries. In a case of the apple聽not falling far from the tree, Gafa鈥檚 passion聽lies in the education sector and he is actively聽involved in union organising.

Before his union organiser role, Gafa聽worked as an HR consultant, stating that he聽was effectively a 鈥渢ool of management.鈥� This聽predicament of working a double life and trying聽to appease both sides, through HR while聽also being an elected union representative,聽created a burgeoning inner conflict which was聽the catalyst for him to seek a 鈥渟ea change鈥澛爐o the union side. When asked about any聽difficulties that arose during this time, Gafa聽relents, 鈥渢here were times where things came聽up in union meetings where I just had to聽recuse myself out of respect for the people聽in the room.鈥�

There had been occasions in聽which there were programs suggested from聽higher-ups that he knew would be 鈥渂ad for聽workers鈥� and a list of people coming up for聽redundancies left on his table (which he聽actively fought against and saved some).聽Gafa would direct workers to speak to their聽union because 鈥渦nfortunately the way the聽power structure is鈥� I will probably be on the聽other side of the table when it comes to the聽problem.鈥�

Since moving to organising, Gafa鈥檚 daily聽schedule involves representing workers at聽Deakin University, putting together strategies,聽running member meetings, and recruiting聽colleagues to insist on an active union base聽to improve staff working conditions.

Arguably,聽for Gafa, the most important feature of union聽organising is a continual fight for worker rights,聽bargaining power, and ensuring workers鈥� lives聽are healthy and not demoralised by the system聽in place.

He expressed enjoying a sense of聽fulfilment from the job he has now because it聽is 鈥済ood to be on the side fighting for things聽even if we lose, although the goal is always聽to win鈥� and asserts, 鈥渋f I鈥檓 not empowering聽workers, I am not doing my job.鈥�

Outside of work, Gafa continues to be a聽strong activist and currently is campaigning to聽demand that police cease participating in pride聽events while in uniform. He affirms a 鈥渘eed for聽a safe and accessible space for everybody in聽the community for queer people.鈥�