OUR JOURNEY
Women for Election’s journey from 2013- present
2013
Women for Election Founder, Jenny Morris, embarked on a leadership study tour to Ireland where she met with Women for Election (Ireland) – this sowed the seed to establish Women for Election in Australia
Women for Election registered in Australia
2015
Women for Election conducted in-depth research to identify key barriers to women’s participation in public life. The research identified 5 major barriers, which were presented at the 2015 Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) conference: FutureProofing Australia: Gender Diversity in Politics
2017
Women for Election held its inaugural conference at NSW Parliament House: Women in Politics, Setting Yourself up for Political Success
2018
Women for Election held its 2nd annual conference at NSW Parliament House: Women in the House
2019
Licia Heath appointed as inaugural CEO of Women for Election
Women for Election expanded its network, entering into strategic partnerships, including with the ANU and Ruth McGowan Pty Ltd, delivering training conferences in the NSW Parliament and at the ANU Campus in Canberra
First delivery of EQUIP Candidate Training Workshop
2020
Produced online EQUIP to broaden reach of candidate training across Australia
Secured funding from NSW State Government to take EQUIP workshops ‘on the road’ for the first time – delivering programs across regional NSW
Launch of Parliamentary Friends of Women for Election in the Federal Parliament
First In Conversation event, interview with The Hon Kristy McBain MP
2021
Women for Election’s Ambassador program was launched – which included eminent Australians including Wendy McCarthy AC, Anna Bligh AC, Sue Cato AM, The Hon Dr Sharman Stone AM, John Hewson and Nick Grenier AC
Helen Conway appointed Chair of the Women for Election Board
2022
Launch of Women for Election’s second public campaign, Power Like You’ve Never Seen, in partnership with UN Women Australia
Recipient of a Victorian Government grant, Women Leading Locally, to empower more women to run for local government.
2023
Women for Election secured a $5M, five-year grant from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women
Shirley Chowdhary appointed Chair of the Women for Election Board
2024
Peak election year in Australia, with a total of 9 state, territory and local government elections. Nearly 250 Women for Election alumni ran, and 100 were elected
Secured funding from NSW State Government to lift the number of women running for local government elections
Milestone achievement: 5000 registrations for Women for Election events
Launch of Campaign In Your Pocket™, Women for Election’s first-of-its-kind digital tool
2025
48 Women for Election alumni ran in the Australian federal election, representing 10 political parties. 7 were elected or re-elected
Launch of Women for Election’s Political Advisory Board