Celebrating Women's Influence in the Sheep Industry Forum

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister please speak to the chamber about the Celebrating Women's Influence in the Sheep Industry Forum?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:59): I thank the honourable member for his question. Last month, I headed to Watervale to attend the opening of the Celebrating Women's Influence in the Sheep Industry Forum. The roles that women play in the sheep industry are significant. The calibre of women in attendance at the forum last month was certainly a testament to that.

The roles women play in the sheep industry are also varied, which was reflected in the forum program, featuring shearers, wool classers, designers, chefs, producers and writers. Women have always been central to the sheep industry, alongside men, but for many years the stereotype of the industry has been far too focused and narrow. For many, the sheep industry conjures images of a male shearer in dungarees.

The speakers at the forum included an array of influential women who all challenged the stereotype of what it means to be part of the sheep industry. Liz Harfull was one of the speakers, a best-selling author who tells stories of people in rural and regional areas. She discussed the history of women's involvement in the sheep and wool industry, which dates back as far as the sheep and wool industries themselves, despite perhaps not being well acknowledged in the past. We also heard from Cathy Wendelborn, a trailblazer for women shearers, being the only woman inducted into the Shearers' Hall of Fame, recognised for being a clean, tough and efficient shearer.

Steph Brooker-Jones, Elders Wool Manager, with over two decades of experience brokering wool across the state, shared her experience and influence on the South Australian sheep industry. Steph's interest in wool and sheep started very early, back in 1979, when she was one of the first women to complete the full-time professional wool-classing course at Marleston College School of Wool and Textiles. We also heard from Nikki Atkinson, who is the 2024 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award state winner, a fashion designer and an innovator, creating beautiful wedding dresses using Australian merino wool. Nikki is a trailblazer in the wool and sustainable fashion industry and is passionate about championing Australian agriculture globally.

While there is still work to do across all industries for gender equality, recognition of how far we have come is also important, and the diversity of the sheep industry is worth celebrating. Celebration also needs to be backed by the creation of future opportunities, which is exactly what this state government is doing.

In this place yesterday, I mentioned several state government supported initiatives that encourage women to step into leadership and decision-making roles across agriculture in rural and regional areas. One example is the Stepping into Leadership Program run by Women Together Learning and supported by PIRSA. Since 2012 more than 160 women from across South Australia have completed the program. Many of these women are now industry leaders, board members, business owners and mentors themselves. But it is more than professional development: the program is about building networks, creating role models and ensuring women are visible in leadership.

We know that diversity makes industries stronger, so by supporting women as well as men to take on new roles the whole industry benefits. This forum is a timely reminder of the enormous contribution that both women and the sheep industry make to our economy. It was also a delight to have Senator Don Farrell, Minister for Trade, attending the forum, as did the member for Frome. The state government, through PIRSA, is proud to stand alongside producers, industry and community leaders to build a strong future for the sheep industry and its participants and for regional South Australia.