Half of the newly elected MPs to take their seat in state parliament last week were women, helping Queensland pass a political milestone more than 100 years in the making.
Before this year’s state election, 98 women had represented their electorates at a state government level since the first Queensland parliament convened in 1860.
This year 12 women were newly elected to parliament, including three QUT Pathways to Politics for Women alumni, and all are now part of the milestone cohort that gave Queensland not only its 100th woman in politics but it’s 110th.
QUT program graduates Bree James (Barron River – LNP), Natalie Marr (Thuringowa – LNP) and Dr Barbara O’Shea (South Brisbane – ALP) are among the 24 new MPs who will work for Queenslanders over the next four years.
Member for Barron River, Bree James, graduated from the QUT-delivered national program in 2023.
As well as being elected to represent the northern suburbs of Cairns and Kuranda, Ms James has also been appointed Assistant Minister for Tourism, Early Learning, Creative Industries and Far North Queensland in the new government.
“To see that 50 per cent of the new people coming into parliament this year are women, is very exciting for Queensland,” Ms James said.
“Not a lot of people go into this realm of life so to have a program like this to support women from across the state has been invaluable.”
QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program director Professor Vicky Browning said the program in Queensland had come of age in 2024 with 13 alumni elected to local government across Queensland earlier in the year, three successful at state government level, 2020 program graduate Connie Boglis OAM winning in the recent local government elections in Victoria, and at least two more preparing federal election campaigns in the new year.
“This program is helping to change the face of politics at a local, state and federal level,” Professor Browning said.
“And a highlight this year was we brought back our elected alumni from earlier in the year. Hearing from people who had been through the program and got elected had a huge impact on our other alumni and our 2024 cohort. It was all very fresh in their minds, and they were able to share their personal stories as well as how to navigate the party and the party machines.”
Natalie Marr missed out on a seat in the 2020 state government election but won this year, after completing the QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program.
“This is a great time for women in politics,” Ms Marr said.
“I learnt so much about myself in the program and I was so much more prepared this time.
“There are limited opportunities in regional Queensland to learn from other regional women who are leaders, so this program is really important to support women of regional Queensland who want to put their hand up to become a leader.”
Former federal Member for Forde, The Honourable Dr Mary Crawford AM, has supported the national program since its inception in Queensland in 2020 and mentored, as part of the Pathways Mentoring program, QUT alumnus Dr Barbara O’Shea who won the seat of South Brisbane from Greens incumbent Amy MacMahon.
“People often get very enthusiastic and there’s the excitement of preselection and then they become somewhat overwhelmed, so a mentor can put all that in perspective, and perhaps direct them to the right sort of people who might be able to offer assistance within the party and outside,” Dr Crawford said.
“Politics is a very different kind of game, if it was about the best candidate getting up we’d be half women long ago.”
Dr O’Shea said she valued the mentorship of Dr Crawford during long days of door-knocking and campaigning.
“My seat wasn’t viewed as a winnable seat so to have the support of a mentor like Dr Crawford was invaluable,” Dr O’Shea said.
“She was so helpful to me. Just her understanding of politics, and to reinforce how important it is to get out into the community and connect. Mary and I were just so completely aligned.”
Pathways to Politics for Women was initiated by Carol Swartz AO of the Trawalla Foundation in collaboration with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia and the University of Melbourne to upskill and mentor women who are interested in pursuing political careers. The foundational program was launched by the University of Melbourne in 2016 followed by QUT in 2020.
This year the program launched nationally, with leading universities in every state and territory now tailoring the program to their local context.
Main image: QUT Pathways to Politics for Women alumni. From left to right: Dr Barbara O'Shea MP, Natalie Marr MP, Assistant Minster Bree James MP.
Media contact:
Debra Bela, QUT Media, media@qut.edu.au
07 3138 7702 / 0407 585 901 (After Hours)
