Science on the frontline – meet ChemCentre’s trailblazing ER team

Established by the Western Australian Government in the 1890s to enforce the Explosives Act of 1895, ChemCentre can trace the origins of its mission to protect and support the community it operates in, all the way back to the Western Australian gold rush.
 
The first female scientist was employed at ChemCentre in the 1920s and today women comprise 55 per cent of the workforce. Fifty per cent of senior team leader positions at ChemCentre are held by women with three of the seven ChemCentre Board members being women, including the Chair.
 
And for the first time at ChemCentre, an all-woman emergency response team is helping to keep us safe from chemical hazards. ChemCentre plays a vital role in protecting the community from chemical hazards. Its highly skilled Emergency Response teams are at the ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
 
In the lead up to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February the team of female scientists demonstrated to Today Tonight how their expertise in chemistry has put them at the frontline in dealing with emergencies involving chemicals and hazardous materials.

Science Minister Dave Kelly and Women's Interests Minister Simone McGurk visited ChemCentre to see the all-woman team in action.

Watch the full Today Tonight story here.