Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins does her thinking in the air

On her inaugural day as Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, she missed her flight – a first for the seasoned and very efficient traveller.

How much have you travelled lately?

Yesterday I started the day in Melbourne, flew to Canberra then to Sydney. Tomorrow I’m going back to Melbourne.

Phew! That must be exhausting.

Yes! And next week I’m in Sydney for a day then Tasmania for two. Melbourne is my home base but my office is in Sydney and my role is national. I’m away from home probably three days each week.

What do you wear on the plane?

I’m usually travelling straight to meetings so I generally wear a suit. If I was in Canberra yesterday then Sydney today, I could wear the same jacket two days in a row and no-one would know! The one thing I always do when travelling is wear comfortable – but still stylish – shoes. There’s nothing worse than being exhausted because you’re wearing unreasonably high heels.

What do you never leave home without?

Since I’ve taken on this role, I have a whole different view of how important my handbag is. I’ve now got one that’s just the right size for my laptop. It holds my security passes for Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian Human Rights Commission in Sydney and the Carlton Football Club in Melbourne, where I’m on the board.

Do you roll or fold?

I’m in both camps. In my backpacking days, I learned the joy of rolling. But now my aim is to travel with as little as possible so I often have space to fold.

Have you ever missed a flight?

It’s funny you ask. On my first day [as Sex Discrimination Commissioner, in April], I was trying to make a good impression. I took a cab to the airport but the traffic was horrendous. I ended up missing my flight and spent most of the day trying to get to Sydney. That was my inauspicious start.

That sounds stressful.

It was! I read almost an entire book at the airport and called my husband four times.

Did it change the way you travel?

I learned two valuable lessons: I make sure I have plenty of time to get to the airport, particularly on a Monday morning, and I never check in luggage unless I’m seriously going away.

How do you maximise your time in the air?

One of my favourite things about flying is that you’re out of contact. You can really think. Recently, I had three speeches in one day and I couldn’t find inspiration. I got on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne and by the end of it, I had worked out a really good way of doing each.

What was the last book you read on a plane?

I went to some Sydney Writers’ Festival events and I’ve been reading the work of two of the writers there: Gloria Steinem’s

My Life on the Road and Tara Moss’s new book, Speaking Out: A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls.

And what book did you read that day you were stuck at the airport?

Night Games

[by Anna Krien]. It has some pretty confronting stories of women who haven’t been treated well by football. I’m really interested in the AFL being a place that is welcoming for everyone.

What was the last film you watched on a plane?

From Sydney to Melbourne you can almost view a whole movie. The last one I watched was Eddie the Eagle; I saw most of it on one flight and the rest on a later flight.

Complete this sentence: When I’m flying, I feel…

Like I’m going places.