2025 Women of the World Q&A Networking Dinner: Women in Government and Politics

Please note: This is an invitation-only event.

Join The Women’s College for an enriching networking dinner showcasing Women in Government & Politics. This exclusive event offers a unique opportunity to connect with dynamic panellists, fostering insightful discussions and empowering exchanges.

Our Women in Government & Politics panellists and facilitator are:

• Sallyanne Atkinson AO | former Lord Mayor of Brisbane
• Dr Donna Bennett | Agriculture Counsellor – Middle East & North Africa | The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
• Leigh McCready | Senior Policy Advisor – Employment and Training | Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training
• Kerry Petersen | Chief Impact Officer, Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee
  
• Dr Leonora Risse | Economist & Program Director, Pathways to Politics for Women, University of Canberra
• Councillor Dr Rebecca Vonhoff | Deputy Mayor, Toowoomba Regional Council
• Facilitator: Georgina Robinson | Principal Consultant, Three Plus & former journalist
  

Read the panellists and facilitator's biographies below.

Event details

Date: Tuesday 29 April 2025
Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Venue: The Women’s College, College Road, St Lucia
Program: Complimentary two-course sit-down dinner and wine
Dress: Business attire
RSVP by: 5:00pm Tuesday 22 April 2025, if not booked out prior

Additional information

By taking part in this event, you grant The Women’s College full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for promotional purposes. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity and social media. If you do not wish to be photographed, please contact the event organiser at admin@womens.uq.edu.au.

About the panellists and facilitator

Sallyanne Atkinson AO (alumna 1960) began an arts degree at The University of Queensland before becoming a journalist for newspapers in Brisbane and Sydney. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in History and Political Science, in 1967. Sallyanne was then Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1985 to 1991, and to date has been the only woman to have held this position. After leaving the position as Lord Mayor of Brisbane, she became the first woman on the boards of several major companies, including Caltex. As Australia's Senior Trade Commissioner to France from 1994 to 1997, Sallyanne promoted Australian exports and encouraged investment in Australia. She was also Australia's representative to the International Chamber of Commerce. While a representative of the Australian Olympic Committee, she supported the Olympic bids of many cities around Australia, including the Brisbane bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics and the successful Sydney 2000 Olympics Bid. In France she was the European Representative for the Sydney Olympic Committee. She was subsequently made the Deputy Mayor of the athletes' village.

Dr Donna Bennett (alumna 1979 – 1980) is the Agriculture Counsellor - Middle East & North Africa in The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In this role, Donna currently lives and works in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and explores and develops new market openings for Australian farmers and exporters, maintains and improves existing market access, manages sensitive policy issues, represents Australia at meetings and negotiations, and resolves issues when Australian agricultural goods arrive at their foreign destination. Donna has worked for The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for more than 15 years. She has an MBA from the University of New England, and graduated with First Class Honours for her Bachelor's degree in Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sciences from The University of Queensland.

Leigh McCready (alumna 1995 – 1997) was appointed as Senior Policy Advisor – Employment and Training for the Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training in March 2025. Previously, she was Head of Fundraising and Partnerships at Katie Rose Cottage Hospice, and she has worked at Sheraton Noosa, Altum Property Group, BP, Telstra, and HeliMods. She has a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Monash University and undergraduate degrees in Commerce and Arts from The University of Queensland. In 2021, Leigh was elected to Chair the LNP Noosa Branch, the first female to hold this position in Noosa’s history. Leigh is a 2020 Fellow of the QUT Pathways to Politics for Women program. In 2023, Leigh won The Women's College Community Alumna Award.

Kerry Petersen (friend of the College) is the Chief Impact Officer for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee and is responsible for key partnerships including government relations, para-integration, sustainability, impact and legacy, First Nations and human rights. Kerry has an excellent reputation for forging productive stakeholder relationships and partnerships in complex operating environments. She brings over 32 years of public sector and major event experience including delivery of many significant public infrastructure programs and projects. Kerry's previous role was as the Associate Director-General of the Games Taskforce within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, where she was responsible for leading the Queensland Government’s engagement in all activities associated with the successful candidature for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Dr Leonora Risse (alumna 1997 – 2000) is an economist who specialises in gender equality. Her research and policy work focuses on closing gender gaps in the workforce, including the gender pay gap and women’s under-representation in leadership. She engages regularly with governments and organisations on gender equality policies. She is currently Economist & Program Director, Pathways to Politics for Women at the University of Canberra. Leonora also serves as an Expert Panel Member on gender pay equity for the Fair Work Commission. Previously she held roles with the Australian Government Productivity Commission and the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University. Leonora is a co-founder and former National Chair of the Women in Economics Network (WEN), which supports and elevates women in the economics profession in Australia. Leonora was the 2024 Women's College Alumna of the Year.

Cr Dr Rebecca Vonhoff (alumna 2001 - 2002) was elected to the Toowoomba Regional Council in 2020 with the most votes, and she became Deputy Mayor in 2023. She was re-elected in 2024, again with the highest number of votes and re-appointed as Deputy Mayor. Rebecca has previously been elected to Policy Executive for the Local Government Association of Queensland and further elected to be a Directory on the Board of the Australian Local Government Association. She was previously Deputy Foreign Editor of The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper when she was based in Toronto. She's also reported and edited for The Australian in Sydney and The Courier-Mail in Brisbane. She has a PhD in German History and confesses to speaking German poorly these days.

Georgina Robinson (alumna 2000) graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism and Arts at The University Queensland before working as a journalist in Brisbane and Sydney. During her time as a journalist, she moved into sports journalism in 2011 and became the first female chief rugby writer in the Sydney Morning Herald's 190-year history. She then covered the London 2012 Olympics and the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups. Georgina was a regular panellist on the ABC’s Offsiders program, Nine’s Sports Sunday, Fox Sport’s Rugby Heaven and a regular MC at sporting events. She returned to Brisbane in 2021 with three children, and in 2023 moved from journalism into communications as a consultant with boutique firm Three Plus.