The crucial role played by rural women and their valuable contribution to primary industries in Tasmania has been recognised in two agricultural scholarships announced today at Agfest.
Shannon Barwick is the winner of the Tasmanian Women in Agriculture Scholarship for 2018 and Taylor Franklin-Smith is the 2018 winner of the Tas Alkaloid Scholarship.
Shannon has a background in farming from Tasmania’s North and provides inspiration and mentorship for other women to achieve great things in agriculture.
Shannon has a strong commitment to community work, including local show and agricultural societies, and she hopes to develop her leadership skills in order to inspire younger women to overcome boundaries and engage in a career in agriculture.
Taylor Franklin-Smith works at a Northern Tasmanian Flower Farm and she embodies what the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program is all about.
Her aim is to grow her leadership skills and help put the spotlight on cut flower production in Tasmania.
Over its first four-year term, the Hodgman Liberal Government provided new funding of $80 000 to Tasmanian Women in Agriculture. As part of our Taking Agriculture to the Next Level Policy, we will increase that to $120 000 over the next four years.
This reflects our confidence in the demonstrated ability of TWiA to support and empower more rural women to take on leadership roles in Tasmanian primary industries.
Tasmanian Women in Agriculture (TWiA) is a voluntary organisation that aims to connect, support and celebrate rural women by providing opportunities to network and support each other, and by empowering them to realise their full potential.
It’s estimated that women produce at least 49 percent of real farm income in Australia and it is exciting to see TWiA encourage members to expand their skills and continue to develop leadership capacity.
The Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program has more than 780 graduates across the nation. It is recognised as one of the longest running rural leadership programs in Australia.
Leadership skills help women to influence directions and priorities, create enthusiasm and purpose, and get things done in terms of engaging others to take action.
Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s scholarships and for their future journey to build their skills and become leaders in the Tasmanian agricultural industry.
More Media Releases from the Minister for Primary Industries and Water