In Australia, women are under-represented across all levels of government, business, civil society and positions of influence. The Pathways to Politics Program for Women is changing the face of politics. It seeks to increase female participation in politics by equipping women with the skills and knowledge to succeed in running for elected office, and to thrive as political leaders, thereby transforming both our politics and our broader policy landscape.
The Program is a non-partisan initiative being run for the first time in NSW in 2021 by UNSW in partnership with the Trawalla Foundation and the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia. It is hosted by the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at UNSW Law & Justice, with support from the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UNSW, the Australian Graduate School of Management at the UNSW Business School, the Australian Human Rights Institute, the UNSW Centre for Ideas, and the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture.
Pathways to Politics Program for Women NSW is part of a national network of independent programs based at Australian universities modelled on the Pathways to Politics Program for Women, which was launched by the University of Melbourne in 2016 in partnership with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, and Trawalla Foundation. The foundation University of Melbourne program was developed in consultation with the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School with reference to their long-running “From Harvard Square to the Oval Office” practicum, to redress the underrepresentation of women in Australian politics. Now in its sixth year, the University of Melbourne program has achieved remarkable success, with 13 program alumnae elected across local, state and federal government in five years. A similar independent program, also modelled on the University of Melbourne program, was launched by QUT in 2019 for women in Queensland, and we are grateful for the assistance of the University of Melbourne, QUT, and the Trawalla Foundation in developing the NSW program. Pathways to Politics for Women was featured in these articles in The Age and The Guardian in 2020.
It made such a difference to have incredible women from across the political spectrum encouraging and supporting me all the way with skills, development and knowledge. This program is crucial – more women in parliament better reflects our community’s values and experiences
”The Pathways to Politics Program for Women is a great initiative enabling women to rise to the opportunity to lead in politics and to address the gender equity gap in political representation across our nation
”In 2021 the NSW Program is free for the 25-30 successful applicants, who will be selected on a competitive basis. Any questions not addressed in the FAQs can be directed to pathways.to.politics@unsw.edu.au
Photo credit: the image at the top of this page is of alumnae of the Pathways to Politics Program for Women at the University of Melbourne