20th, 23rd & 28th February – presented by Politics in Colour
The Pathways to Politics Program for Women is proud to support this free training presented by Politics in Colour, designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women of colour who are interested in running for office.
This is the third year that Politics in Colour will be running their Political Candidate Training for Women of Colour (VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD, SA, NT) to ensure more women of colour get elected.
These online workshops offer contextualised training that speaks directly to the experience of women of colour in overcoming many of the structural barriers to running for public office.
Throughout the 3 x 2 hour sessions, the workshops will cover topics such as women of colour in politics, the Australian political system, eligibility and pre-selection, building community support, campaign management, digital defence and more.
Upon completion, attendees will have greater capacity and confidence to understand how to navigate Local, State and Federal elections, with a renewed passion and drive to run for office. Aspirants will be encouraged to apply for their local Pathways to Politics Program for Women based at the University of Melbourne, QUT, UNSW, Charles Darwin University, the University of Adelaide or University of Canberra.
Dates: Mon 20, Thurs 23 and Tues 28 February 2023
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm AEDT
Venue: online (via Zoom)
Cost: Free
Guest speakers: Some of the country’s most inspiring and formidable women of colour leaders will join the workshops to talk about their journey through leadership and politics, including:
- Monday 20 Feb
Cr Natalia Muszkat – Gladstone Regional Council, QLD (alum of the QUT Pathways to Politics Program for Women) - Thursday 23 Feb
Cr Emelda Davis – City of Sydney, NSW (alum of the UNSW Pathways to Politics Program for Women) - Tuesday 28 Feb
Sheena Watt MP – Member for Northern Metropolitan, VIC
Elizabeth Lee MLA – Member for Kurrajong, ACT
Michelle Deshong – Political Scientist, Lead Facilitator for Straight Talk
Dr Meredith Martin – Director of the University of Melbourne’s Pathways to Politics Program for Women
Workshop facilitators
Katja Henaway
Kat is a descendant of the Mer and Mua peoples of the Torres Strait Islands. Over the past 20 years, Kat has worked for some of the world’s largest private sector companies as well as public sector organisations in Australia and the UK. From 2009-2014, Kat worked at City of Sydney Council commencing in the Office of Independent Councillors and later moving to Council business. During her time at council she launched several Indigenous initiatives including NAIDOC in the City and supported the development of Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel. Today, Kat is an entrepreneur and Director of several enterprises including Politics in Colour and Women’s Business. She was Board director of Women for Election (2018-2020) and is currently Indigenous Advisor to Women & Leadership Australia.
Tharini Rouwette
Tharini is Founder & Director of and Centre of Multicultural Political Engagement, Literacy and Leadership (CoMPELL). She comes with a strong background in media, technology, and progressive grassroots activism/fundraising in Singapore, US and Australia. She led an army of 500+ Australian volunteers who campaigned hard for the Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders and although he did not become the President of the United States, they managed to win him enough votes, from abroad, to become one of the most influential figures in the Biden administration.
