Queensland women to be WOWed at festival

The Women of the World (WOW) Festival will be held in Brisbane for the first time this weekend (19-21 June).

Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman said the festival was a chance to celebrate the achievements of women and provide personal and professional development opportunities for Queensland women.

“I look forward to chairing The State of the Nation panel on Saturday which will discuss the place of women in Australian society and look at whether we are closer to gender equality than we were 30 years ago,” Ms Fentiman said.

“Here in Queensland, we are taking steps towards gender equality, and I’m proud we have a majority of women in Cabinet. But we still have big challenges ahead of us.

“Through the diverse offerings at the WOW Festival, I hope more women will be inspired to pursue non-traditional careers, including in science and technology, run their own businesses or get involved in politics.”

Ms Fentiman also announced the establishment of Queensland Women’s Week in 2016, which will be a week-long celebration of the achievements of Queensland women and girls.

“This new week will be a way to increase our engagement with women across Queensland, and to further recognise and celebrate their achievements,” she said.

Minister for Housing and Public Works and Science and Innovation Leeanne Enoch said the Women of the World Festival was a valuable initiative for Queensland.

“It is great to see a platform being created for leading women in science, information technology and innovation to provide inspiration, guidance and advice to young women and girls,” she said.

“The work of the Women of the World Festival complements the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland initiative, which is also working to support women in the knowledge economy through effective participation in science and technology industries.”

The WOW Festival will be held at the QUT Gardens Point campus and the Queensland Performing Arts Complex.

Cathy Hunt, WOW Festival organiser, said Government sponsorship has made the festival more accessible to Queensland women and she hoped there would be a high local turnout.

“The WOW Festival will celebrate the achievements of women, discuss ways to overcome barriers for women and girls and build strong communities of women empowered to make change happen,” she said.

“It’s clear the Queensland Government is ready to have these conversations and move towards true gender equality.

“It is important for women in Brisbane to come out and show the rest of Australia that we’re here, we’re talking about improving the lives of women and we are working towards achieving gender equality.”

For more information about the WOW Festival visit http://wowaustralia.com.au/wow-brisbane-2015/

Media Contact:                                 Minister Fentiman’s office             3719 7511