Thursday,20 March 2025

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:43): (1484) My constituency question is for the Minister for Regional Development. For the past 13 years Leadership Great South Coast has been operating with tremendous success. A total of 198 alumni have graduated from the program, which equips its participants with strong leadership skills, preparing them for stepping into governance roles and highlighting the importance of community-minded collaboration in the regions. Two young women who participated in the last couple of years told me about how valuable it was, given the limited opportunities for leadership development for young women in regional areas. But since 2023 this program has received no state government funding. In the last two years it has operated from community and corporate grants and philanthropy from those who strongly believe in the program’s vision. To build leadership capacity in the regions and to ensure resilient, diverse and effective governance into the future we need to see this program funded ongoing. Minister, will you reinstate funding for Leadership Great South Coast in the upcoming 2025–26 budget?