International Women's Day 2023 First Nations Dinner and Panel

As part of the oldest continuous culture in the world, Australia's First Nations women have been leading and enacting change for tens of thousands of years. 

As the referendum on a Voice to Parliament approaches, hearing from and championing First Nations women has never been so important.

On International Women’s Day 2023, Future Women, Witchery and Breville will collaborate to celebrate Australia’s First Nations women. 

Join us at the Ivy Ballroom on Gadigal Country for a two-course dinner as a panel of First Nations leaders, change makers and creatives share their stories to inspire, challenge, and move the conversation forward about reconciliation and gender equality in Australia.

Be part of the conversation and explore how we can celebrate and raise the voices of Australia's First Nations women.

PANEL HOST

Larissa Behrendt, Distinguished Professor at the University of Technology Sydney
Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO is a Eualayai/Gamillaroi woman and Laureate Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology, Sydney. She is a graduate of the UNSW Law School and has a Masters and SJD from Harvard Law School. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a Founding Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. 

She has published numerous textbooks on Indigenous legal issues and won awards for her novels, Home, Legacy and After Story and films, After the Apology and Maralinga Tjarutja. She sits on numerous boards including Cathy Freeman Foundation, Australian Museum, NSW Literature Board, and Australia Council’s First Nations Arts and Culture Strategy Panel. She was awarded an Order of Australia in 2020 for her work in Indigenous education, the law and the arts, and received the Human Rights Medal 2021 from the Australian Human Rights Commission. Larissa is the host of Speaking Out on ABC Radio.

PANEL MEMBERS

Tanya Denning-Orman, Director of Indigenous Content, SBS
Tanya Denning-Orman, a proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman from Central and North Queensland, has led National Indigenous Television since it joined SBS in 2012, and became SBS’s first Director of Indigenous Content in 2020.

Tanya manages NITV as a channel dedicated to Indigenous voices, overseeing its diverse and innovative multiplatform content. She also plays an instrumental role in the development and delivery of First Nations storytelling across the SBS network. With more than 20 years’ experience working in media, Tanya has previously held positions as a journalist and producer for ABC and SBS, and a number of different roles at NITV since its inception in 2007.

As a champion for strong Indigenous media, she has also held a number of industry Board positions including with Media Diversity Australia, First Nations Media Australia, and currently with the World Indigenous Television Broadcast Network. 

Nakkiah Lui, Actor, Writer and Comedian
Nakkiah Lui is a Gamilaroi and Torres Strait Islander woman. She was a cowriter/star of Black Comedy on ABC and is a monthly columnist for The Australian Women’s Weekly Online. She has been an artist in residence at Griffin Theatre Company (2013) and was playwright in residence at Belvoir from 2012 - 2014. 

In 2012, Nakkiah was the first recipient of The Dreaming Award from The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Arts Board of the Australia Council. The same year, Nakkiah was also the inaugural recipient of the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright award. In 2014, Nakkiah was the recipient of the Malcolm Robertson Prize and a Green Room Award for Best Independent Production. 

Nakkiah is also a young leader in the Australian Aboriginal community and has contributed to The Guardian and Junkee. She has appeared on Q&A and The Drum on ABC and is a regular guest and presenter on ABC Local Radio in Sydney.

Alison Page, Award-winning Creative, Film Producer and Storyteller
Alison Page is an award-winning creative at the forefront of contemporary Australian Aboriginal design and storytelling. As a descendant of the Walbanga and Wadi Wadi people of the Yuin and Tharawal nations, and as a leading force in the Australian design scene, she champions the contemporary creative expression of Aboriginal identity.  Page is currently Adjunct Associate Professor in Design at the University of Technology Sydney, founder of the National Aboriginal Design Agency and member of many cultural Boards including the National Australia Day Council, The Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Australian Maritime Museum. 
 
In 2022, Alison teamed up with Breville in a world first partnership between Australian Indigenous artists to create products for the heart of the home that celebrate contemporary design and reflect 65,000 years of ongoing Australian Indigenous culture.  A decade in the making, an Aboriginal Culinary Journey combines ancient stories with the best of contemporary design, with 100% of Breville’s profits going to support opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

EVENT DETAILS
Wednesday 8 March 2023

6:30pm AEDT Networking drinks (included in tables of ten only)
7:30pm - 9:30pm AEDT Two-course dinner, drinks and panel discussion

Ivy ballroom | Level 1, 320 George Street, Sydney | Gadigal Country

10% of ticket sales will be donated to Future Women's charity partner Australian Indigenous Education Fund (AIEF)

If you have accessibility requirements, please reach out to us at hello@futurewomen.com
This event will be recorded and may be publicly broadcast at a later date. 
Photos will be taken at the event. If you do not agree to your photo being used by Future Women in promotional material covering the event, please email hello@futurewomen.com

Exclusive 20% Future Women member discounts apply. Become a Future Women member today to receive your discount code and a years worth of membership benefits! 
Students can access a 20% discount code by emailing hello@futurewomen.com

THANKS TO OUR EVENT PARTNERS

Future Women will provide five First Nations women with fully funded places in our Platinum + Emerging Leader program in 2023. Applications will open in March 2023.
More information about the Platinum + Emerging Leaders program is available here.

Future Women acknowledges the traditional owners of the Country on which this event will take place, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present

Artwork by proud Samsep woman, Alysha Menzel @alyshamenzel

About the artwork: Amplify is a visual interpretation of the strength and significance of enduring First Nations women. It draws inspiration from our voices, our knowledge and our unique standpoint a women descended from the oldest continuing living culture in the world. The emanating lines represent sound waves, intersecting, building and connecting our insights and knowledge, collaborating towards our future.