AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award Announcement of 2025 Queensland Winner

Minister for Primary Industries, the Honourable Anthony Perrett MP; Chair, AgriFutures Australia, Ms Cathy McGowan; Award finalists; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this morning.

I am delighted to be with you for today’s announcement of the winner of the 2025 Queensland Rural Women’s Award, and I thank AgriFutures Australia for the invitation to join you in celebrating the success of these bright, innovative and inspirational women.

For a quarter of a century, AgriFutures and its predecessor, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, have championed this award and, in that time, no fewer than three Queensland women have won the national title – Martha Shepherd in 2006, Ros Smerdon in 2008 and Krista Watkins in 2018.

Earlier this year, our three 2025 State finalists (Libby Cook-Black, Nicole McNaughton, and Angie Nisbet) were announced jointly by the Minister for Primary Industries, the Honourable Tony Perrett, and the Honourable Fiona Simpson in her role as the Minister for Women and Women’s Economic Security.

Tonight, we will know which of those three will represent Queensland later this year at the gala function in Canberra’s Parliament House, but whatever the outcome, the hopes and best wishes of every Queenslander will accompany our State winner to Canberra and there will be great jubilation if a Queenslander can once again win this prestigious and valuable award.

Since the announcement of our State finalists, five anxious weeks have passed for the finalists, including 18 challenging days as Tropical Cyclone Alfred slowly moved down the coast from the Coral Sea, and I extend my very best wishes to all those here today who felt that impact, especially those in rural areas who lost so much in crops, stock, equipment and infrastructure.

Prior to Alfred, the north of Queensland also suffered devastating floods particularly around Ingham and the Townsville region is currently facing more flooding. My thoughts and prayers are with farmers, and anyone in the room who has been impacted by these recent weather events.

Because Alfred brutally put paid to any celebrations of Queensland Women’s Week or the 50^th anniversary of International Women’s Day in Australia, I also take this opportunity to wish you all a belated ‘Happy International Women’s Day’.

Fittingly, the UN Women’s theme this year was ‘March Forward’ – and Queensland’s rural women have certainly exemplified that!

The Rural Women’s Award has been part of that ‘March Forward’ since the year 2000, and has now seen more than 300 exceptional women acknowledged through the State and national awards.

By giving each of those women a platform, the award, with the generous support of governments and sponsors, has helped unlock the potential of all rural women and has produced greater public recognition of the major contribution that women make to our rural communities and industries.

Through triumph and tragedy, our rural women have been at the forefront of future-proofing Australia’s rural industries, leading and driving the innovations that will ensure that Australia continues to have a robust, world-leading agricultural sector as we meet the challenges of climate change, biosecurity and global uncertainty.

May our rural women continue to ‘March Forward’! Thank you.