Wodonga's Judy Ahmat is proud to be guiding a leadership program for Aboriginal women and hopes it won't be long before Australia has its first Indigenous Prime Minister.
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Mrs Ahmat, who was inducted into the 2015 Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll, is among eight women who are designing a culturally safe and community-led leadership program for future Aboriginal women leaders.
"I'm really honoured to be on the advisory group," Mrs Ahmat said.
"We are all enthused, and we're looking forward to co-designing the leadership program with other Aboriginal women across the state.
"We need input from women, of all ages."
The Victorian government began the initiative in response to the disproportionately low representation of Aboriginal women in formal leadership positions.
The program is being led by Karen Milward, a Melbourne-based Yorta Yorta woman.
Mrs Ahmat said interviews were being done to gather initial feedback on the program, which is expected to run as a pilot with about 15 women in 2022.
"It will be co-designed and strength-based in its approach; most programs are done, and they say, 'Here they are, implement them', whereas this will bring everyone together," she said.
"We have discussed some of the principles we want to guide it.
"We want women to feel safe to be able to talk about their stories, and what's been passed down from the generations above them ... [through] really strong bloodlines of women."
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Victorian Minister for Women and Aboriginal Affairs Gabrielle Williams joined in August's inaugural meeting of the group, which includes Tahlia Biggs, who grew up in Albury-Wodonga.
"This is a strong and powerful group of Aboriginal women who will help pave the way for the next generation of leaders," she said.
"We know that there is a clear connection between gender inequality and dispossession and that there are intergenerational consequences of a lost connection to land.
"Empowerment and self-determination play a key role in progressing equality for Aboriginal women - that is what this program is all about."
Mrs Ahmat, a Gunditjmara woman who established Watnanda Consulting in 2016, said "women have got it in them".
"It's just about bringing their skills and experiences into different areas," she said.
"Most of us raise families and care for families; you can transfer that into other settings, and this program might help bring the leadership skills out in women ... everyone's got them."
