Twenty-one women from across Western Australia have graduated from the 2026 Pathways to Politics for Women program at The University of Western Australia, completing an intensive week of practical training, workshops and mentoring to help them step into political life.
Delivered by the UWA Public Policy Institute, the national, non-partisan initiative is led by the Trawalla Foundation, Women's Leadership Institute Australia and the University of Melbourne, and delivered across eight partner universities nationwide.
Three years into its life at UWA, the program has already helped hundreds of women put themselves forward for election, contributing to 97 electoral successes at local, state and federal levels of government over the past decade.
Extending the program’s reach into regional Western Australia required UWA’s PPI to expand beyond the metropolitan base that had defined earlier cohorts. Eight of this year’s 21 graduates came from regional communities from Albany to Broome, with travel and accommodation supported by Rural and Regional Access Partner Minderoo Foundation.
During this week, participants took part in panels, workshops and hands-on sessions led by figures from across WA’s political spectrum, covering everything from campaign strategy and media training to policy, resilience and community engagement.
Program manager Ana Mendigutxia Balil said the cohort’s growth, and the calibre of women stepping forward, reflected its power to reshape future leadership.
“Three years in, this program is standing on solid ground, and it shows in the calibre of women coming through each cohort,” Ms Mendigutxia Balil said.
“This year we’re particularly proud of what the push into regional WA has achieved — it took real effort to get there, and it means we now have women from right across the State, bringing every kind of experience and background with them.
“We’re not just training candidates. We’re changing the face of politics, one cohort at a time.”
The week wrapped up at WA’s Parliament House, where graduates took to the floor of the Legislative Assembly Chamber to deliver stump speeches before guest judges the Hon Mia Davies, the Hon Liza Harvey OAM, Kate Chaney MP and the Hon Dr Katrina Stratton MLC.
Rural and Regional Access Partner Minderoo Foundation continues to fund travel and accommodation bursaries for rural and regional participants, keeping the program open to women from all areas of the State. Expressions of interest for the 2027 program are open now.