Karen Milliner* says a new program at the Queensland University of Technology will help women navigate pathways to politics and leadership.
Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop addresses the supporters’ event for the QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program. Photo: QUT
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is introducing QUT Pathways to Politics for Women, a new program in Queensland to help redress the significant under-representation of women in political life and government in Australia.
Announced last week at the QUT Business Leaders’ Forum in Brisbane, the Program will be offered from next year through the QUT Business School for an initial cohort of up to 20 successful applicants.
Participants can be alumni from any Queensland university.
An independent program run by QUT, QUT Pathways to Politics for Women is modelled on the Pathways to Politics Program for Women run by the Melbourne School of Government under a partnership between the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, Trawalla Foundation and the University of Melbourne.
Both the QUT and Melbourne programs aim to redress the lack of representation of women in Australian politics and reference Harvard University’s From Harvard Square to the Oval Office program.
QUT Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Margaret Sheil said QUT was very pleased to be able to offer the non-partisan program to help inspire and empower women seeking elected office at local, State or Federal levels.
“Despite their proven abilities, women still face many obstacles to participating in political life in Australia,” Professor Sheil said.
“As the only program of its kind in Queensland, the QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program is specifically designed to equip women with the skills to succeed and to provide the networks and support to help them advance their political careers.”
After the recent Federal Election, women make up approximately 35 per cent of the members of Federal Parliament, and Australia ranks 48th in the world for parliamentary gender diversity, according to the latest 2019 list compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
QUT Business School Executive Dean, Professor Robina Xavier said the QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program’s goal is to play a part in improving these statistics.
“The program will provide training, support and mentorship for those about to take the next steps to entering political life and it will allow the participants to share in the experiences of current and former politicians and political advisors,” Professor Xavier said.
“We are keen to ensure the program can deliver on the needs of a diverse cohort of participants drawn from throughout Queensland.”
The QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program is free to participants and will incorporate face-to-face workshops and online resources in areas such as campaign tools, building a support base, speechwriting and media relations, understanding policy making and personal resilience.
Guest presenters to the program will including sitting and retired politicians, pollsters, campaign strategists, political advisors, and public policy experts.
The QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program’s advisory committee includes a number of former Queensland politicians and QUT alumni, including former Federal MP and Parliamentary Secretary Dr Mary Crawford; former Federal MP, Parliamentary Secretary and Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Adjunct Professor Teresa Gambaro; and former Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Linda Lavarch.
* Karen Milliner is a journalist and Communications Officer for QUT.
This article first appeared at www.qut.edu.au.
