Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Michaela SETTLE (Eureka) (10:32): On Sunday I was honoured to represent the Minister for Agriculture at the 64th annual Pioneer Women’s Ceremony, hosted by the National Council of Women of Victoria in the beautiful Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden. This annual event acknowledges the contributions of pioneer women across generations, and in 2025 they shine a well-deserved spotlight on women in agriculture.

This year marks 30 years since the Australian Bureau of Statistics finally recognised that women could list their occupation as farmer in the census. But we all know that women have been farming for far longer – I think back to my mother making difficult decisions in the 1980s drought but could not list herself as a farmer but only a farmer’s wife. By the time I got to the farm, things had changed, and I thank the many trailblazing women who fought to make sure that by the time I was a farmer things were different.

The ceremony featured powerful voices, including Alana Johnson AM, a founding member of Australian Women in Agriculture, who spoke on the Invisible Farmer Project, the largest-ever study of women on the land. We also heard from Liesbeth Long and Narelle Hanrahan, both great champions. The Allan Labor government is committing to breaking down barriers for women in agriculture in our fabulous Victorian Rural Women’s Network support.