The IWD webspace has its first anniversary in March. The webspace address is shorter now, so please change your bookmarks to http://www.isis.aust.com/iwd/ Our email address is iwd1998@hotmail.com (now national email is webweave@isis.aust.com and Sydney dollective is iwdsydney@hotmail.com) (budding cybergals can get free email at http://www.hotmail.com so go get it!).

There has been a significant amount of traffic on the IWD webspace over the last year. The "hits'' on the website have come from domestic, as well as international organisations, universities and individuals. Joyce Stevens' herstory of IWD and the article on schools in the 1997 broadsheet were by far the most popular pages. There is clearly potential for a global women's network which can achieve tangible outcomes for women.

An increasing number of women's organisations in Australia have an email and web presence. Women who are not electronically connected also receive information from the net. Organisations and individuals are providing information for women through many mediums, and more and more printed material lists web and email addresses. The IWD webspace publicises women's events around the world. If you want to add an event, email, or send the details to PO Box 1, Annandale NSW 2038. Better still, log on and post them up yourself. "Women unite'' is our call, so it is time to unite and create a virtual collective of Australian IWD women.

Currently, we are under-funded and so we need to work smarter together, not just harder. Maybe we can plan the next two years together, as a national IWD collective. We could be a collective of collectives and join the women's intra network (WIN) to become an international collective as well. We could make 2000 the year to celebrate our collective efforts. If you have read Monica's post on the board, asking for tangible help, you know how urgent it is that we combine our energies and information resources.

If we unite we can turn our energy into outcomes at a national level. There is so much going on, and so many women's groups competing with each other for too few funds. One result of this is that Australia did not submit the report required by the UN under the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women last year, and we let it happen. Watch the IWD webspace for a link to a "living'' report to CEDAW on the status of Australian women. Contribute to it it's your report. Our goal is to create a WIN which, when activated, can have an immediate impact on women's lives. We may not all have internet technology at our fingertips, but wherever a message needs to go, it will find women along the way; by fax, phone, email, radio, newsletter, handout and even by foot. We can start the WIN now by combining our energies and understanding the big picture of women in Australia. Then we can find ways to actively affect change. We are half the population so if we act collectively we are half way there.

Those of us who have plenty to say among ourselves, but don't say it in public, need to speak up and get visible. Get democratic and get involved get visible in the physical!

Susanne Martain