I begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal peoples, the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. I extend that respect to all First Nations people here today.
It’s an honour to be with you this afternoon to launch the NETRI Report. My thanks to Dr Madhumita Iyengar for her leadership of Initiatives for Women in Need (IWiN), and to collaborators Raffy Sgroi from Sage Advice and Hari Iyengar from South Asian Federation ACT (SAFACT). Above all, I want to recognise the NETRI participants – the graduates whose energy, ideas and determination are at the heart of today’s celebration.
NETRI is a beautiful word. In Sanskrit, it means ‘she who leads’. But NETRI is more than a name. It’s a philosophy. It is about recognising the leadership potential that exists in women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and giving that potential room to grow.
When you read the report, you see how NETRI created a space where women could bring their whole selves. It wasn’t about leaving culture at the door, it was about weaving culture into leadership. It was about saying: your heritage, your stories, your experiences are not barriers to leadership – they are the very qualities that make your leadership distinctive.
What strikes me are the individual stories that shine through. One participant spoke about confronting her ‘inner critic’: that little voice inside that whispers you’re not ready, you’re not capable, you’re not good enough. NETRI gave her the tools to quiet that voice, and the courage to step forward with confidence. That shift isn’t just psychological. It’s practical. It changes how you walk into a meeting, how you pitch an idea, how you see yourself in a room where decisions are being made.
Another participant described revamping her professional profile after the networking and branding workshop. Within weeks, she was approached for new professional opportunities. What changed wasn’t her skills; she already had them. What changed was her ability to present those skills with confidence and clarity. NETRI made visible what had always been there.
Then there’s the story of a mother who took her new project planning skills into her children’s school. She organised a cultural celebration event that allowed teachers and classmates to engage with her heritage in a joyful, creative way. That’s leadership; not in a boardroom, but in the everyday spaces where identity and belonging are shaped.
Another participant started a support group for women in her own community. At the first meeting, 5 women turned up. Five women who might otherwise have felt isolated now had a space to share, to learn, and to lift each other. From small beginnings like that, whole networks can grow.
One graduate, after the financial literacy workshop, arranged a meeting with a business adviser to take her idea forward. She admitted she would never have done that before NETRI. But with the tools and confidence she had gained, she felt ready. That’s the kind of moment that can change the trajectory of a life.
These are not abstract outcomes. They are concrete shifts in confidence, skills, and opportunities. And the ripples are already spreading. One woman is mentoring younger peers in her community. Another is preparing her first‑ever grant application. Others are already imagining how their skills could translate into businesses or community initiatives.
Leadership is sometimes imagined as a solitary act: the lone figure at the podium, the one voice that commands the room. NETRI shows us a different picture. Leadership is also about creating spaces for others, amplifying voices, and weaving together connections across communities.
And it’s not only about the women themselves. When women lead, families benefit. When women lead, workplaces become fairer. When women lead, communities grow stronger. This is the multiplier effect of investing in women’s leadership – the impact goes well beyond the individual. And let me say, as a man, how proud I am to stand here today to celebrate that impact. Gender equality is not women’s work – it’s a whole‑of‑community effort. All of us, men and women together, have a role to play in ensuring leadership opportunities are shared.
NETRI also reminds us that leadership needs to be culturally responsive. Too often, leadership programs are one‑size‑fits‑all. They ask participants to adapt to a model that was never designed with them in mind. NETRI flips that. It takes cultural diversity as its starting point. It says: bring your whole self, bring your language, your food, your traditions, your way of seeing the world. That’s not an add‑on, that’s the foundation.
That’s why the FEMFEST showcase was such an important part of the program. Thirty‑two stalls, 25 women‑led businesses, and a crowd of more than 100 people. It wasn’t just a market, it was a demonstration of talent, creativity and enterprise within Canberra’s multicultural community. For the women who set up stalls, it was a chance to test ideas, to connect with customers, to feel the buzz of possibility. For everyone else, it was a glimpse into the richness of our city.
What I also admire about NETRI is that it doesn’t stop at training. It builds a pathway. The ORANGE Skirt Project takes graduates into the next stage – turning ideas into microbusinesses, leadership into livelihood. That matters. Because skills without application can fade. But when skills are applied in real projects, they multiply.
So when we speak of NETRI, we’re not only talking about a program. We’re talking about a movement. A movement of women who are claiming their place as leaders: in families, in workplaces, in schools, in community halls, and soon in enterprises that will shape our economy.
For me, this report is not just a collection of findings. It’s a set of stories that tell us something about what Canberra, and what Australia, can be. It tells us that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. And when we create opportunity – when we invest in people – the results are transformative.
Think about the ripple effects: a cultural celebration in a school that helps children grow up proud of who they are. A mentoring relationship that lifts up the next generation. A small business that starts in a market stall and one day employs half a dozen people. A community support group that becomes a lifeline for women navigating new lives in Australia.
This is the future NETRI points to. A future where leadership is shared, inclusive, and grounded in community. A future where women from every background can see themselves not only as participants in society, but as leaders shaping its direction. As a representative of this community, I’m proud that work like NETRI is happening here in Canberra. It strengthens not only individual women, but also the social cohesion that binds our city together.
And this is why programs like NETRI matter. They demonstrate that partnerships between community, business and individuals can produce real change. They remind us that leadership doesn’t only reside in parliaments or boardrooms. It resides in kitchens, in classrooms, in markets, in community halls.
To the NETRI graduates: congratulations. You are the proof of concept. You are the living evidence that this program works. Your courage, your creativity, your persistence have made this report possible, and have set the stage for others to follow.
To IWiN, to the facilitators, to the collaborators, thank you for your vision and commitment. And to everyone here today, I invite you to see this report not as an end point, but as a beginning. The beginning of a new generation of leaders who will change Canberra and, in time, change Australia.