Elaine Gillespie
Elaine Gillespie
Vice President, TAFE and Adult Provision
Elaine is a highly experienced teacher and veteran unionist who likes nothing better than getting out on the streets to campaign. She has doorknocked for two state elections now and is always impressed by how happy people are to talk once they discover she is a teacher.
Elaine started teaching beauty therapy when she first came to Australia from Scotland in 1991. She taught at Ella Bache as a teacher and principal for seven years. She was then program manager at Victoria University, overseeing the beauty programs, before taking a position in learning and teaching, where she found herself training trade teachers. Around the same time, she was elected sub-branch president at VU, finding that working with teachers across all the VU campuses gave her an ideal opportunity to talk about the union and develop relationships.
Elaine started teaching beauty therapy when she first came to Australia from Scotland in 1991. She taught at Ella Bache as a teacher and principal for seven years. She was then program manager at Victoria University, overseeing the beauty programs, before taking a position in learning and teaching, where she found herself training trade teachers. Around the same time, she was elected sub-branch president at VU, finding that working with teachers across all the VU campuses gave her an ideal opportunity to talk about the union and develop relationships.
After joining branch council, Elaine was invited to take part in the Anna Stewart program, which was a turning point in her involvement with the AEU. Working alongside a group of likeminded women was a phenomenal experience and made her determined to pursue a career with the union. She held the office of Deputy Vice President of TAP from 2014-2019, during which time she was responsible for the disability and AMES sectors and discovered a passion for helping others.
As Vice President of TAP, she is particularly looking forward to helping members negotiate and implement new agreements, as well as continuing to raise awareness of the needs of TAFE, Disability and AMES.