Media Releases

The Nationals member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty is encouraging people in the Lowan electorate to nominate an outstanding business woman in western Victoria for an award.
“The Telstra Business Women’s awards provide an opportunity for women who have made a significant contribution to the workforce to receive the accolades they deserve,” Mr Delahunty said.
The 2013 Telstra Business Women’s Awards celebrate successful local business women whose inspiration, determination and innovation is worth celebrating.
“There are many women in western Victoria who have achieved great things in many different business fields and these awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate them.”
“Winners and finalists are offered recognition of their achievements, increased business profile, networking and mentoring opportunities, and a share in more than $250,000 in cash and prizes,” Mr Delahunty said.
Awards are open to business owners, women in the private and corporate sector and the government and community sectors. Other awards recognise business innovation and young business women.
The Telstra Business Women’s Awards State and territory winners will be announced at state and territory Awards luncheons and National winners are announced at the Gala Dinner in Melbourne on the 14 November 2013.
“I’m encouraging nominations and entries so that innovative, hard-working, established and emerging business women who inspire other women to reach their own goals can be recognised”, Mr Delahunty said.
Nominations for the Awards can be made at www.telstrabusinesswomensawards.com or by phoning 1800 817 536. Entries are open until 25th June, 2013.

 

The Nationals member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty is encouraging women serving on the boards of not-for-profit organisations which receive State Government funding to apply for the Victorian Women’s Governance Scholarship Program 2013.

“Thirty-four full fee scholarships are available under the program, a joint initiative of the Victorian Government and the Australian Institute of Company Directors,” Mr Delahunty said.

The program is aimed at increasing the knowledge, skills and confidence of Victorian women to enable them to join private, public and community sector boards and to contribute effectively as directors.

“It is anticipated there will also be benefits to participating community and not-for-profit organisations through better governance practices,” Mr Delahunty said.

Institute research indicates that currently the percentage of women on boards of ASX 200 companies is 15.2 per cent, and that the proportion of women comprising new appointments increased significantly in 2010 and 2011.

Mr Delahunty said the scholarship program assists in providing women with the governance knowledge and skills to help them secure directorships.

Scholarship applicants must be residents of Victoria, have the right to live and work in Australia for a period of at least five years, not be or have previously been disqualified as a company director, and should have a basic level of financial literacy.

This is a full five day course, with additional time required for pre-reading and preparation, review and the completion of assignments.

Applications close at 5pm Friday January 11 2013 and applicants will be notified of the outcome in March.

For further information and to apply for the Victorian Women’s Governance Scholarship, go to www.companydirectors.com.au/vicwomenscholarship

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty said the Victorian Coalition Government is supporting the efforts of BreastScreen Victoria and encouraging women aged 50-69 to receive a free breast screen mammogram.
To highlight the need for potentially life-saving screening, a new breast screen media campaign has enlisted Channel 9 newsreader Jo Hall and former tennis champion Evonne Goolagong-Cawley as its ambassadors, with ads running on television, radio and online.
“Finding cancer early could save your life and as the new TV campaign says, it only takes 10 minutes.  I am encouraging all women in the Lowan electorate aged 50 – 69 to have a mammogram every two years,” Mr Delahunty said.
Statistics just released by BreastScreen Victoria show just 55 percent of Victorian women in this age group are being screened. 
Mr Delahunty said in the Lowan electorate the Breastscreen participation rate has increased to 60% between 2010 and 2012 however there is still work to be done to increase the numbers of women taking advantage of this free service.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Victorian women and regular screening mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, before any symptoms are noticed and when treatment is likely to be most successful.
“Around 3,500 Victorian women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and over 750 women will die from the disease – equivalent to more than two Victorian women dying from breast cancer every day,” Mr Delahunty said.
“Thanks to improvements in treatment and early detection, five year breast cancer survival rates have increased from 73 per cent in 1986-1990 to 89 per cent in 2006-2010.”
While screening mammograms are primarily recommended for women aged 50-69, women aged 40-49 are still at risk of breast cancer and are welcome to have a free breast screening mammogram with BreastScreen Victoria every two years.
“I not only urge women to have regular breastscreens but I call on their men to also encourage their wives, mothers, sisters, aunts to take advantage of this life saving program,” Mr Delahunty said.
For more information or to make a FREE appointment with BreastScreen Victoria, please call 13 20 50 or visit www.breastscreen.org.au to book online and watch the new campaign.

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty today called for people in western Victoria to honour extraordinary women by nominating them for the 2013 Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

Each year, the Honour Roll acknowledges women from across Victoria who have made a lasting impact on their communities through their vision, leadership, commitment and hard work.

“I encourage people to nominate women from the Lowan electorate who have made a significant contribution locally, nationally or internationally,” Mr Delahunty said.

“They may come from the many diverse areas where women are making a difference, including health, science, law, social justice, environment, arts, media and education.”

The 2013 Victorian Honour Roll of Women builds on the success of previous Honour Rolls, reflecting the diversity of Victorian women and their skills, strength and personal determination.

Almost 500 women have been inducted on the Honour Roll since it began in 2001 as part of Victoria’s Centenary of Federation celebrations.

“If you know of a woman who has been instrumental in making an exceptional difference in their community or field of endeavour, then nominating her is a great way to recognise her contributions,” Mr Delahunty said.

Nominations are open until Friday 7 December 2012 and on-line application forms and guidelines can be found on www.dhs.vic.gov.au/womenshonourroll

Twenty new inductees will be announced as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations in March 2013.

The Nationals member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty said a corporate governance training initiative to develop the skills of women as Board Directors will be offered over the next two years.

Mr Delahunty said this is a joint initiative of the Victorian Coalition Government and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Company Directors)/

“The Victorian Women's Governance Scholarships will be extended to provide a further 68 women with training in corporate governance through participation in the organisation's highly respected Company Directors Course,” Mr Delahunty said.

“Through the Women’s Governance Scholarships, the Coalition Government is providing more than 100 Victorian women with the training and skills to assist them to be successful as Board Directors,” Mr Delahunty said.

The scholarships are available to women on the boards of not-for-profit organisations in receipt of State Government funding to undertake corporate governance training provided by Company Directors.

“As well as enhancing the skills of the scholarship recipients for their current and future roles as Directors, the program strengthens the governance of the not-for-profit boards on which these highly talented women currently serve,” Mr Delahunty said.

Applications for the scholarships open in October. For more information, visit
www.companydirectors.com.au/boarddiversity

 

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty is calling on inspiring rural women who want to make a lasting contribution to primary industries and rural communities to put their hand up and nominate for the 2012 Rural Women’s Award.

 “The award was designed to recognise and encourage the vital contribution women make to rural Victoria and Australia,” Mr. Delahunty said.

 “In addition to a $10,000 bursary awarded to the Victorian winner, both the winner and the runner-up will attend a course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors in Canberra.

 "The winner will also be given the opportunity to sit on the Ministerial Women in Primary Industries Advisory Panel, which provides advice on emerging issues in primary industries and how they affect women," Mr. Delahunty said.

 Past Victorian award finalists put forward projects on a range of topics including young farmer networks, farm financial management, succession planning, aquaculture, dairy co-operatives, agriculture education and exports.

 “The Rural Women’s Award is wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women in the rural sector in western Victoria and I urge residents to nominate women who have made a contribution to rural life,” Mr. Delahunty said.

Entries close on 15 October and application forms can be downloaded from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation's website at www.rirdc.gov.au, or by calling (03) 9658 4493.

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty is calling on local business women to enter the 2010 Telstra Business Women’s awards.

 

“There are many successful businesswomen in the Lowan electorate who are deserving of the state or national recognition which comes with the award,” Mr Delahunty said.

 

“These awards are a great opportunity to highlight and celebrate the roles and achievements of businesswomen in our community.”

 

Mr Delahunty said he was sure that everyone worked with or knew of outstanding women who might be local business owners, managers or employees in the corporate, government or not-for-profit sectors.

 

“There are many local entrepreneurs and young business women who deserve our encouragement and support and I urge people across the Lowan electorate to get involved,” Mr Delahunty said.

 

Nominations close on 21^st June, 2010 and women can either nominate themselves or other business women at www.telstrabusinesswomensawards.com or call 1800 817 536.