Applications now open!

FAQs

Information for prospective applicants

Pathways to Politics programs are run in every Australian state and territory, uniquely designed in collaboration with eight of Australia’s leading universities and tailored to your local context.

For more detailed information about the program in your state or territory, please visit their website:

Program schedules differ between each state/territory. Some programs are delivered as full-time, face-to-face intensives over the course of a week. Others are delivered part-time across three to four months, and may be delivered as a mixture face-to-face and online sessions.

Planned module dates and times for each program are listed below. Please note that these may be subject to change.

University of Melbourne (Victorian program)

Saturday 16 August 20259:00am-5:30pmIn person, Melbourne
Saturday 23 August 20259:00am-5:00pmIn person, Melbourne
Saturday 13 September 20259:00am-5:00pmIn person, Melbourne
Thursday 18 September 20256:00pm-9:00pmOnline
Saturday 4 October 20259:00am-5:00pmIn person, Melbourne
Thursday 9 October 20255:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Thursday 16 October 20256:00pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 20 October 20256:00pm-7:00pmOnline
Thursday 23 October 20255:00pm-10:00pmIn person, Melbourne
Graduation TBC 20266:00pm-7:30pmIn person, Melbourne

QUT (Queensland program)

Tuesday 29 July 20257pm – 8pmOnline
Friday 22 August 20259am – 7pm In person, Brisbane
Saturday 23 August 20258am – 5pmIn person, Brisbane
Tuesday 9 September 20257pm – 8pmOnline
Friday 19 September 20258am – 5pmIn person, Brisbane
Saturday 20 September 20258am – 5pmIn person, Brisbane
Friday 24 October 20258am – 5pmIn person, Brisbane
Saturday 25 October 20258am – 5pmIn person, Brisbane

UNSW (New South Wales program)

Thursday 21 August 20258:30am-5:00pmIn person, Sydney
Friday 22 August 20259:00am-8:30pmIn person, Sydney
Saturday 23 August 20259:00am – 3:30pmIn person, Sydney
Tuesday 26 August 20256:45pm-9:00pmOnline
Tuesday 2 September 20256:45pm-9:00pmOnline
Tuesday 9 September 20256:45pm-9:00pmOnline
Tuesday 16 September 20256:45pm-9:00pmOnline
Friday 19 September 202512.00pm-8:00pmIn person, Sydney

Charles Darwin University (Northern Territory program)

Thursday 7 August 202510:00am-8:00pmIn person, Alice Springs
Friday 8 August 20258:30 am – 3:30 pmIn person, Alice Springs
Monday 18 August 20259:00 am – 4:00 pmOnline
Tuesday 19 August 20259:00 am – 4:00 pmOnline
Monday 8 September 20259:00 am – 8:00 pmIn person, Darwin
Tuesday 9 September 20259:00 am – 1:00 pmIn person, Darwin 

University of Adelaide (South Australian program)

Sunday 3 August 20259:00am-6:30pmIn person, Adelaide
Monday 4 August 20256:00pm-9:00pmOnline
Sunday 10 August 202511:30am-4:30pmIn person, Adelaide
Sunday 17 August 202512:00pm-4:00pmIn person, Adelaide
Monday 25 August 20256:00pm-9:00pmOnline
Sunday 31 August 20259:00am-1:00pmIn person, Adelaide
Monday 8 September 20256:00pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 22 September 20256:00pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 27 October 20256:00pm-9:00pmOnline
Friday 7 November 20259:15am-12:00pmIn person, Adelaide

University of Canberra (ACT program)

Thursday 28 August 20259am-5pm / 6pm-8pmIn person session + welcome dinner, Canberra
Friday 29 August 20259am-4pmIn person, Canberra
Wednesday 10 September 20256:30pm-8pmOnline
Thursday 18 September 20259am-5pmIn person, Canberra
Friday 19 September 20259am-4pmIn person, Canberra
Wednesday 1 October 20256:30pm-8pmOnline
Thursday 9 October 20259am-5pmIn person, Canberra
Friday 10 October 20259am-4pmIn person, Canberra
Thursday 16 October 202512pm-4pmIn person, Canberra
Friday 17 October 20252pm-6pmIn person, Canberra

University of Tasmania (Tasmanian program)

Monday 21 July 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Friday 25 July 20259:00am-8:30pmIn person, Launceston
Saturday 26 July 20259:00am-5:00pmIn person, Launceston
Sunday 27 July 20259:00am-2:00pmIn person, Launceston
Monday 4 August 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 11 August 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 18 August 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 25 August 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 1 September 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 8 September 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Monday 15 September 20256:30pm-9:00pmOnline
Friday 26 September 20259:00am-5:00pmIn person, Hobart
Saturday 27 September 20259:00am-5:00pmIn person, Hobart
Thursday 16 October 2025TBCIn person, Hobart

University of Western Australia (Western Australian program)

The WA program will run as a week-long intensive.

Sunday 31 August 20253:00pm-7:00pmIn person, Perth
Monday 1 September 20258:00am-4:00pmIn person, Perth
Tuesday 2 September 20258:00am-4:00pmIn person, Perth
Wednesday 3 September 20258:00am-4:00pmIn person, Perth
Thursday 4 September 20258:00am-4:00pmIn person, Perth
Friday 5 September 20258:00am-4:00pmIn person, Perth

Nothing! Program participation is fully funded through the generous support of the Trawalla Foundation, university partners and other donors.

Travel and accommodation bursaries are available for all rural and regional participants thanks to our Rural and Regional Access Partner Minderoo Foundation – ensuring equal access for women nationwide

Meals are often provided during in-person sessions.

Pathways to Politics for Women is an independent program, not an accredited course. Designed and delivered in collaboration with eight university partners, it equips women with the skills, knowledge and networks to pursue political leadership. At the end of the program, participants receive a certificate of completion and join a national network, including access to exclusive alum events, masterclasses and networking opportunities.

Pathways to Politics for Women programs are open to women across Australia. We embrace an inclusive definition of ‘women’, acknowledging the diversity of women we work with and aim to support, including cisgender and transgender women, and non-binary people.

To be eligible to apply, you do not need to be enrolled at the participating university, be a graduate of that university, or hold any tertiary or higher education qualifications.

To be eligible, you will need to meet the following criteria:

  1. Be an Australian citizen/Australian permanent resident/holder of a permanent Humanitarian Visa.
  2. Currently reside in the same region as the program to which you are applying.
  3. Identify as a woman (noting we embrace an inclusive definition of ‘women’, including cisgender and transgender women, and non-binary people)

All eligibility requirements will be clearly outlined in the application form.

No! We partner with eight of Australia’s leading universities to design and deliver our programs, but you don’t need to be enrolled or have attended any of the universities in order to participate. In fact, it is not a requirement to have a tertiary degree at all in order to be eligible for the program.

Generally, there are between 12-25 participants accepted into each of our state/territory programs each year. Numbers can vary depending on the field of applicants.

Participants are selected on a competitive basis. Our selection process actively works to minimise barriers to entering politics, and prioritises community and professional experience as well as commitment to running for office.

The selection criteria are as follows:

  • Commitment to seeking elected office
  • Professional and life experience
  • Political engagement
  • Ability to tell your story in a compelling way.

All applications are reviewed by a Selection Committee, who place a strong emphasis on multi-partisanship and equity in selection.

The program provides a safe space for women of diverse backgrounds, professions, cultures, and ideologies to fulfill their shared aspiration to pursue public office.

Applications for the 2025 programs open 6 March – 1 May 2025.

Apply online.

Modules differ slightly between each state/territory, but cover topics such as:

  • political vision
  • campaign planning
  • media training
  • speech-writing
  • leadership skills

The program is delivered as a mix of workshops, presentations and practical exercises provided in a respectful and supported environment. For example, you will be given professional media training, write your own political stump speech with assistance from an expert political speechwriter, and will deliver your speech to an audience (usually in parliament).

You will also participate in Q&A’s and presentations from a range of prominent politicians, advisors and other experts to give you confidence and clarity about your future in politics.

Read about past workshops and presenters.

Throughout the program you will meet a range of sitting and retired politicians and have the opportunity to ask about their first-hand experiences of navigating the challenges of political life through Q&A’s and workshops.

Once you complete the program you’ll be eligible to apply for the Pathways Alum Mentoring program (PAM). PAM runs annually and is designed to empower and support our alums who are intending to run for office in the next five years. PAM runs for approximately eight months, with a minimum of four one-hour mentoring sessions.

Mentors from across the political spectrum are formally matched to alums to support their political aspirations by:

  • Understanding the mentee’s political journey to date;
  • Providing practical guidance around potential strategies to become elected;
  • Providing a safe place for discussion without judgement;
  • Challenging assumptions and preconceptions about how to succeed;
  • Encouraging self-directed reflection, analysis and problem solving; and
  • Acting as a trusted mentor that maintains alum confidence, motivation, and resilience in their pursuit of public office.

Read more about our mentoring program.

Application form information

Applications for the 2025 programs open 6 March – 1 May 2025.

You can apply online using the SmartyGrants platform.

Application forms must be completed through an online platform called SmartyGrants.

Application forms may differ slightly between programs, but are generally comprised of the following sections:

  • Eligibility questions: These short questions help our Selection Committee to determine your eligibility for the program.
  • Experience and political journey: These questions help us understand more about your political aspirations, experience, and your motivation and commitment to run for election. Free text questions have a word-limit of 250 words.
  • Your ‘elevator pitch’: A 90 second video where you tell us what issue(s) are important to you and what you would highlight about your values and life experience that might connect with voters and persuade them that if elected you would make a difference.
  • CV: You will be required to upload your CV. Please ensure it is no longer than two pages and includes two referees.

The form will require a few hours of your time. Successful applicants take the time to answer questions carefully, in full, and showcase their unique political aspirations, motivations, skills and experiences that demonstrate their commitment to running for election.

Our application platform, Smartygrants, allows you to save your application form as a work in progress, so you can complete it over several days if you need to. We won’t have access to any part of your application until you’ve reviewed and submitted it.

Many of our programs require you to submit a video ‘elevator pitch’ as part of your application. The video format offers us a personalised insight into your values, experiences and commitment and allows for a genuine showcase of your communication skills and a compelling narrative that goes beyond the confines of a traditional written application.

If you are asked to upload a video as part of your application, we highly recommend you carefully script and time the video to a maximum of 90 seconds. You can find advice on writing an elevator pitch, or political “stump speech”, on the Pathways to Politics Knowledge Hub.

You will need to upload your completed video to a file sharing site (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox) or video hosting site (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo) and then copy the link into your application form. Please ensure the video or fileshare is set to ‘Public’ BEFORE you submit your application.

While the video pitch is an important component of the application, we understand there may be technical reasons that you cannot complete this component. If this is the case, please reach out to the program contact in your state/territory to discuss options:

Applications are reviewed by a state/territory based Selection Committee, who place a strong emphasis on multi-partisanship and equity in selection. The Selection Committees are comprised of state/territory program Directors, Advisory Committee members and senior university staff.

Participants are selected on a competitive basis. Our selection process actively works to minimise barriers to entering politics, and prioritises community and professional experience as well as commitment to running for office.

The selection criteria are as follows:

  • Commitment to seeking elected office
  • Professional and life experience
  • Political engagement
  • Ability to tell your story in a compelling way.

The program provides a safe space for women of diverse backgrounds, professions, cultures, and ideologies to fulfill their shared aspiration to pursue public office.

Founding Partners
Women's Leadership Institute Australia
Trawalla Foundation
University of Melbourne

University Partners
University of Melbourne
QUT
UNSW
Charles Darwin University

University of Canberra
The University of Adelaide
University of Tasmania
The University of Western Australia