The Power of the Female Vote

Event Details
Date: 27th of April 2022
Time: 5:30pm Registration. 6.00 pm start
Place: Bagung Magali Community Room, Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy Library
Address: 182 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North

Program

Panel Discussion Session: We’ve brought together some powerful speakers for this amazing event: Farhana Muna will be moderating a panel that includes MP Samantha Ratnam, Yolanda Vega and Zahra Mustaf. They will be presenting their stories as women in politics in Australia.

N etworking opportunity: The perfect opportunity to meet more migrant women from the community, grow your professional networks and build meaningful connections that lead to real opportunities

Refreshments: A selection of nibbles and soft and alcoholic drinks will be provided. We will aim to cater for different dietary requirements. If you have any particular need, please contact us.

Farhana Muna

With a home video going viral in 2014, Farhana Muna became one of the first Bangladeshi women to connect with the masses through comedy. Since then, Farhana has amassed a following of 378,000+ on her social media platforms, which she leverages to passionately advocate for mental health awareness and female empowerment. Farhana has created content for and advised organisations such Facebook HQ, UN women, UNDP and Instagram on optimising social media for social change. Her videos have more than 28 million views and her social media platforms engage close to 1 million people every month. Farhana ’ s adeptness in leveraging humour and impactful storytelling to influence the dialogue on stigmatized topics such as mental health and gender discrimination has been widely proclaimed by the Bangladeshi media and garnered international attention from the Huffington Post and BBC Asia Radio.

Samantha Ratnam MP

Samantha is a Member of the Legislative Council for Northern Metropolitan and the Leader of the Victorian Greens. Prior to entering the Victorian Parliament, Samantha was a social worker for over 15 years and also spent five years as a Councillor at the City of Moreland, where she was elected the first Greens Mayor of Moreland in 2015. As an MP Samantha is a strong advocate for our environment and social justice. She has actively campaigned to save public housing, reduce gambling harm and for stronger action on climate change.

Yolanda Vega

Vega is a researcher, advocate, and educator with a deep understanding of how government decisions impact people and communities. She arrived in Australia with her political refugee parents in 1971, aged 6. As a PhD student, business owner and industry leader Vega has witnessed many changes, but none as concerning as what is happening in politics today. “I have spent the past six years investigating how policies that produce positive outcomes can be replicated. It is not rocket science, but my research indicates that without a driver willing to make changes the status quo will remain. I am certain no one wants to wait 100+ years to live in an equitable society!” says Vega.

Zahra Mutaf

Zahra has been a resident of Ivanhoe and Heidelberg for over 18 years and has forged many strong friendships and networks in this community. While her family has had some of the usual new Australian experiences, she has also had the opportunity to raise two wonderful, empathetic and self-motivated children. Volunteering is her core belief in building a functioning community. Zahra has served on, various committees around the community including Ivanhoe Primary School, Kew High School, Ivanhoe Junior Football Club, as well as being a team manager for the Ivanhoe Knights Girls Basketball team and member of the committee of Somali Community Victoria and the Kew High Chaplaincy. Through her continued community presence, she endeavours to help create and foster positive engagement amongst the community of JagaJaga.

COVID Safe Event Information

We require guests to comply at all times with Department of Health regulations. Attendance at this event means that you agree to:

QR Code sign-in and show proof of vaccination status. If you cannot get vaccinated and have a medical certificate we ask that you provide us with the medical certificate as soon as possible so that we can discuss it with the venue
Complete a symptom self-assessment prior to leaving home
Not come to the event if you are unwell, even with very mild symptoms
Carrying and wearing a face mask is highly recommended
Maintain an appropriate distance from others where possible during the event
Follow directions for face coverings and hygiene during the event
If you become unwell while attending the event, you will immediately notify event organisers then leave the event and seek medical advice and testing.

Photo Consent:

Please be aware that PMW events are filmed and photographed for public release and that you are agreeing to be captured by our media team. If you would not like to be captured in any filming of the event or photography please let us know upon arrival to the event.

Is Bargoonga Nganjin Library accessible?

The Bargoonga Nganjin is fully accessible, with an elevator right inside the entrance should you have any guests in wheelchairs or with walking aids.

Can't pay for the ticket?

A number of free tickets are set aside for our events. If you can't pay for your ticket please contact us.

Thanks to our sponsors for their valuable contribution: