THE new Country to Canberra essay competition aims to bridge the gap between rural areas and the cities and connect young female students from country regions with powerful female politicians and executives based in Canberra.
The competition was founded by Hannah Wandel, who grew up on a farm near Blyth in South Australia. Ms Wandel loved the small country community, however, she felt it was important that young women in such communities had the same access to employment opportunities as much as women in the cities.
“For some girls in the country it can be hard to get jobs in the traditional industries.”
Ms Wandel said she wanted the Country to Canberra competition to shine a spotlight on the issues young women faced in rural areas.
In particular, she hoped to encourage policymakers to focus on career and educational opportunities in the country so more women returned to the bush after studying to start their own businesses.
“I’m thrilled with how the competition’s inaugural year went,” she said.
“It was great to read the perspectives of young women living in different communities all across the country.
“After a thorough and objective selection process, we announced three deserving winners – two from NSW and one from Queensland.
“I can’t wait for them to come to Canberra and be inspired by some of Australia’s most powerful female leaders.”
Hannah Worsley, a Year 11 student from Inverell High School, was one of the three winners.
Hannah was delighted to find out she would soon be rubbing shoulders with women such as ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, the Federal Member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann, and the highest female executive at the Department of Defence Rebecca Skinner.
“I have an avid interest in politics,” she said.
She wanted to speak with these high-profile women about issues such as gender inequality and mental health in rural Australia.
Hannah thought the essay competition was a good chance to highlight how “casual sexism” was still an issue.
“There is a distinct misunderstanding of what feminism is,” she said.
“People say ‘I’m not a feminist, I support gender equality’ – when feminism is about supporting gender equality.”
Hannah believed casual sexism with jokes about girls “needing to get back to the kitchen” were more prevalent in rural areas, and she hoped this could be overcome with initiatives such as the Country to Canberra competition.
Ms Wandel agreed.
“The competition showed that despite living thousands of kilometres apart, many young rural women face the same challenges,” she said.
“Sadly, the essays confirmed that some issues, such as sexism, still affect youth across Australia, and that more progress needs to be made.
“Some students used the prompt to focus on stereotypes while many looked at sexism and unconscious bias in their community.
Some girls even looked at country sport, while a few spoke about paving the way for more women to enter male-dominated industries.”
Ms Wandel said the Country to Canberra competition showed her the importance of giving young women a voice.
“Distance, time and financial costs can also isolate rural girls from education and career opportunities. Country to Canberra gives these students a helping hand,” she said.
Hannah and the other winners, Libby O‘Brien, Beaudesert, Queensland, and Vesna Clark, Southern Highlands, will meet the politicians in Canberra on December 3.
They will also get a behind-the-scenes tour of Parliament House and a tour of the National Gallery of Australia.
The top 15 essays from the competition will also be published on the Country to Canberra website to showcase the girls’ talents on a national stage.
Visit Country to Canberra for more.
Roderick Makim
Senior journalist for The Land.
Senior journalist for The Land.
