For 21 years, the Rural Women’s Award has raised the profile of rural and regional women doing extraordinary work, and the $15,000 scholarship for state and territory winners helps them develop their projects and access business and leadership support.
The 2023 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award will be announced at a gala event in Canberra’s Parliament House in front of an audience of alumni, politicians, business leaders and the media.
Meet the finalists.
Emma Gibbons: Queensland
Emma Gibbons is the founder of Huds and Toke, which creates dog treats using surplus vegetables and farmed-insect protein.
She is a trailblazing entrepreneur who is passionate about sustainability and reducing carbon emissions, which has won her global recognition, including a recent partnership with Krispy Kreme to offer dog-friendly doughnuts in its UK and US stores.
Thanks to the QLD AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award grant, Emma will be able to purchase highly specialised equipment that can process alternative proteins and ensure all production remains on-site at her facilities at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast.
Michelle Moriarty: Western Australia
Michelle Moriarty founded Grief Connect online in 2022 after she suffered the deaths of both her father and her partner in a few short years.
She wanted to help others across Australia reduce their social isolation after losing a loved one to improve mental health outcomes and normalise conversations about grief.
Michelle harnessed her skills as a social worker, and the community now offers a safe space for honest discussions about the harsh realities of losing a partner.
Along with the addition of a support group for those over 55, Grief Connect provides counselling and service referrals to clarify the next steps. She also conducts seminars through “The Grief Language Project”, which equips participants with the language skills to support someone experiencing grief.
Michelle plans to use the WA AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award grant, courtesy of Westpac, to extend the reach of her program, tap into professional advice, and create a long-term business plan to establish a sustainable funding source.
Eileen Breen: Northern Territory
Eileen Breen is a passionate advocate for sustainable business, and as co-founder of NTEX, she is working to make what she called “the most destructive industry on the planet” – the construction industry – more sustainable.
She has created a remarkable track record of creating new enterprises and projects that prioritise environmental responsibility.
With over 30 years of experience in a diverse range of industries in Australia and overseas, she has been instrumental in developing successful businesses and fostering entrepreneurship in the community. Mentoring, building capabilities, and expanding networks are central to Eileen’s commitment to helping others succeed in their business endeavours.
Thanks to the NT AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award grant, Eileen plans to scale up her SustainAbility project to more businesses. The initiative empowers rural, regional and remote businesses and communities to embrace the opportunities of the circular economy to deliver a positive benefit to local people, the planet and sustainable profit.
Melissa Duniam: Tasmania
Melissa Duniam discovered the healing power of horses after she suffered a farm accident in 2016.
Remembering how her grandfather picked up horsemanship in later life, she began researching equine-assisted learning, and within five years, she founded a business called Leading Rein, working with people and teams to improve workplace culture and build communication and relationships.
Melissa is a business operator who’s worked for 20 years in the agricultural industry, including managing a dairy enterprise across multiple farms, accommodation, and an indoor equestrian facility.
She is an advocate for life-long learning and is sharing her knowledge of working alongside horses in a leadership development program. She plans to use the TAS AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award grant to expand her business and share the benefits of equine-assisted learning with the wider community.
Nikki Davey: Victoria
Entrepreneur and co-founder of Grown Not Flown Nikki Davey has a vision to see the local cut flower industry bloom, using her skills in business and digital product development to support small-scale growers.
Nikki worked in business and change management and is passionate about sustainable and regenerative agriculture on her central Victorian farm. As a budding flower farmer, Nikki saw a need for technologies dedicated to small-scale growers and developed her digital platform and app to connect consumers with local, sustainable flower farmers, reducing ‘flower miles’ and supporting micro-economies.
Since 2021, the platform has grown to have more than 3,500 users in 30 countries and more than 1,000 flower growers listed. The VIC AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award grant will fund the development of a knowledge hub within the platform so that flower growers can tap into tips, tools and best practices.
Ali Paulett: South Australia
Ali Paulett, the founder of Indigenous Australian native garden the Bush DeVine and managing director of Paulett Wines, is a passionate advocate for food education, collaboration with First Nations people, and community connection. With over 20 years of experience in the Paulett family business, Ali now manages a team of more than 30 people.
As someone who has worked closely with the land for many years, Ali recognised the importance of creating a sense of place and knowledge that would educate schoolchildren and the wider community about how First Nations people used and nourished the environment. This led her to establish the Bush DeVine Indigenous Australian native sensory bush food garden in 2010, which now features 40 different types of native plants and a beautiful sensory walking path. In addition to being a popular attraction, the garden also supplies their Winery Restaurant, which opened in 2015.
Ali plans to use the SA AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award grant to add educational components to the DeVine garden, including interactive signage, videography to enhance the sensory experience and a cooking vicinity for the community to use.
Michelle Leonard: New South Wales
Founder, Artistic Director and Conductor of Moorambilla Voices, Michelle Leonard is an artistic visionary with a strong motivation to amplify creative opportunities for regional children and young adults as a catalyst for social change.
Moorambilla Voices is a nationally awarded regional arts organisation that has been making a significant impact since its inception in 2006.
Since then, Michelle has personally delivered skills development workshops directly into schools to over 42,000 children from 21 local government areas across regional New South Wales. Michelle has commissioned over 100 new Australian works and conducts yearly residency camps, tours, recordings, and performances for regional and metropolitan audiences. Under Michelle’s leadership, Moorambilla Voices showcases the extraordinary capacity of children as choristers, dancers, and visual artists to express their shared connection to Country with confidence and joy, to standing ovations.
Michelle will use the NSW AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award grant to support the Moorambilla Voices touring fund. The fund will contribute to the costs of touring the MAXed OUT Company to the Sydney Opera House to create a seven-track CD (Goodhigoo Yanmay) acknowledging the incredible contribution of the singers themselves, the rural and remote communities they call home, and the Indigenous Elders and language and cultural holders who have supported and loved the program across 18 years.
In doing so, Michelle and Moorambilla seek to spark national conversations on inclusion and respect and showcase children and youth as artistic innovators of excellence.
