Wednesday, 4 March 2026

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (12:49): My constituency question is for the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs. Last week I joined the minister at the State Library for the Alice Anderson Fund’s International Women’s Day event to celebrate the achievements of women-led startups. We know that there is a significant funding gap when it comes to women in the startup sector, and programs like the Alice Anderson Fund are doing the heavy lifting to close it. Since 2021 the Alice Anderson Fund has invested over $8.9 million into 43 women-led startups, which has helped unlock more than $57.4 million in private sector investment. Victoria’s startup ecosystem is now valued at a massive $142 billion, and in the Northern Metropolitan Region our local founders are a huge part of that story. My constituents are keen to see how we can continue to make it even easier for local women-led businesses to start, scale and drive jobs in our community. My question to the minister is: how is the Allan Labor government supporting women startups within the Northern Metropolitan Region?