Studio Session: Her Vote

Future Women and Twitter are proud to present #HerVote.

For women in leadership, the time is now. Movements are assembling, momentum is growing. The renewed women’s movement is demanding equal representation in parliaments across the globe and women voters are mobilising to build a fairer, kinder and more inclusive world.

However, in Australia, we’re not making those same gains. Over the past decade, our country has fallen from 15th to 50th in the world on gender representation in national parliament. It’s not necessarily that we’re going backwards — there is currently a record number of women in Cabinet — but the rest of the world is moving forwards, faster.

Join us for a town hall style event where you’ll hear from today’s politicians and emerging candidates about representation in politics: where we’re at and where we need to get to.

Together, Future Women and Twitter, aim to amplify the voices of female political talent in Australia. Attendees will get to know the women behind the campaigns, as well as the reasons they’re passionate about politics and its future.

Join us on 5 April for the opportunity to hear from, meet and engage with female political leaders, and emerging candidates. This event will be hosted by  reporter, news presenter and author, Allison Langdon.

Arrivals from 5.30pm for a prompt 6pm start.

Confirmed speakers: 

Tanya Plibersek, Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Tanya Plibersek is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education and Training, Shadow Minister for Women, and the Federal Member for Sydney.

Tanya grew up in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, the daughter of migrants from Slovenia. She studied Communications at UTS in Sydney, and after graduating she worked in the Domestic Violence Unit of the NSW Government while she studied for a Master of Politics and Public Policy at Macquarie University.

Elected as the MP for Sydney in 1998, Tanya campaigned for a return to social justice in government on issues such as paid parental leave, fairer rights at work and rights for same-sex couples.

Tanya lives in Sydney with her husband Michael and young children Anna, Joseph and Louis. She is fond of bushwalking and Jane Austen.

Sussan Ley, Liberal member for Farrer

Sussan Ley is the Liberal Member for Farrer, and has been responsible for a number of portfolio and policy areas during her 17 years in Parliament.

Born in Nigeria to British parents, Sussan Ley spent her early childhood in the United Arab Emirates, before migrating to Australia at the age of 13 with her parents and older brother. Developing an early fascination with the skies and flying, a young Sussan worked a variety of odd jobs and hours to finance this passion, obtaining a Commercial Pilot’s License which she still holds.

Residing in Albury, Sussan maintains her enthusiasm for all things aeronautical, handy when getting around an electorate of 120 000 square kilometers, roughly the same size as New Zealand.

Shireen Morris, Labor candidate for Deakin

Shireen Morris, Labor’s candidate for Deakin, grew up in North Ringwood and lives in Nunawading. She was born in Australia, and is of Indian and Fijian-Indian heritage.

Through her twenties she worked as an actress and singer, performing Shakespeare in the Botanic garden, plays, singing in bands and songwriting.

Shireen later studied to be a lawyer and earned a PhD in constitutional law. She spent 7 years as a policy expert and advocate at Cape York Institute, working on Indigenous constitutional recognition and developing the concept of a First Nations body in the Constitution. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at Melbourne University Law School.

Shireen has published three books as well as several academic articles, and is a regular commentator in print and on TV and radio.

Zali Steggall, Independent candidate for Warringah

Zali Steggall is an Australian lawyer and former Olympic athlete. She is Australia’s most internationally successful alpine skier, winning a bronze medal in slalom at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, and a World Championship gold medal in 1999.

In the Winter Olympics she was Australia’s first individual medalist, first female medalist, and only medalist in alpine skiing. Steggall’s Olympic career extended from Albertville in 1992 to Salt Lake City in 2002.

Zali received an Order of Australia Medal in 2007 for contributions to sport and charity and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2004.

She is now entering politics and is an independent candidate for Warringah at the 2019 Australian federal election.

Hollie Hughes, Liberal Party Senate Candidate

Hollie Hughes is a long-time resident and community advocate for regional NSW having spent most of the past twenty years living in the country.

Hollie first moved to the country more than two decades ago to study at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. Majoring in Broadcast Journalism and later completing a Masters of Politics and Public Policy from Macquarie University, Hollie embarked on a career in communications, Government affairs and consultancy.

For the past two years she has worked as the Head of Government for Executive Search firm Salt & Shein, and is now a Liberal Party Senate candidate.