Nominations for Next25’s program to support women in parliament are now open, expanding this year to a nation-wide initiative.
Next25 is an independent think tank that launched the Improving Democracy: Transforming Parliament for Women in 2022. The non-partisan program was targeted at women MPs in the NSW parliament across the political divide in a shared mission to unite women in parliament.
The idea of the program is to transform women’s experiences in parliament – a system that was never designed to include women – and this year, the two-day leadership program is open to parliamentarians across the country.
CEO of the think tank Chloë Spackman said her organisation’s research shows that programs like this make a big difference for women in parliament.
“Next25’s research has shown that improving trust in government is one of the key levers to making the future Australia wants, and the way women parliamentarians are treated is a contributing factor to the erosion of trust,” Spackman said.
“This program works to transform self to transform the system, based on the most up-to-date leadership research whilst leveraging insights provided directly by parliamentarians and our alumni community of both women and men, Federal, State and Territory MPs.”
At the moment, one in four women MPs in the NSW Parliament have completed the program.
Liesl Tesch, the Labor Member for Gosford, is one of those women. She completed the program in 2022 and said it has “transformed” her life.
“Not only did I delve deeply into my own values and possibilities as a leader, I also developed profound relationships with women from across the parliament and we now work closely together in various aspects of our parliamentary roles,” Tesch said.
Spackman said women from across the political divide are able to form strong bonds that they “would not have formed otherwise”, thanks to the program. In fact, many alumni of the course continue to have monthly dinners to catch up with one another.
“They’ve cultivated a shared understanding of core values and humanity and agreements on what behaviour is unacceptable and unproductive in their role as our representatives,” Spackman said.
“When women feel more connected and confident in their workplaces, they are more likely to call out bad behaviour and demand a higher standard. This has a positive impact on all MPs, all parliamentary staff and the public alike.”
While one in four women MPs in the NSW Parliament have completed Next25’s course, Speckman is hoping to see that number rise to 30 per cent. In any case, the course will have a greater impact this year, as it extends beyond NSW to a nation-wide initiative.
“We have spoken with many people in the parliamentary eco-system, and we felt strongly that this program was needed and wanted across Australia to women in all of our parliaments,” Spackman said.
‘A woman problem’ in Parliament
Just this week, female MPs in the federal Parliament united together to call out “condescending, unprofessional and often misogynistic” behaviour in politics – often coming from their male colleagues.
Independent MP for North Sydney Kylea Tink says the ongoing behaviour in Parliament indicates that the Coalition “still has a woman problem.”
“I’ve become used to this type of condescending, unprofessional, and often misogynistic behaviour from several male MPs from the Liberal and National parties,” she shared in a statement this morning.
“It’s not just me – many people, often women, face this sort of behaviour in Parliament – the likes of which would not be accepted in any other workplace. It’s clear the Coalition still has a woman problem, and I doubt Peter Dutton has the backbone to call it out.”