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Joan Kirner program 2025: fostering diverse leadership in Victoria

By Jaci Hicken

Aug 12, 2025

Former Victorian Premier Joan Kirner. Photo: AAP/Alan Porritt

The Victorian Government-backed Joan Kirner Emerging Leaders Program will launch its next cohort in October 2025, fostering the development of emerging women and gender diverse leaders throughout Victoria.

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Named in honour of Joan Kirner, Victoria’s groundbreaking first female premier, who took office in 1990, the program tackles the ongoing challenge of under-representation of women and gender diverse people in leadership roles across sectors.

It aims to:

address the leadership challenges they face
equip them with practical skills and strategies to advance on their leadership journeys
deepen their awareness of the structural barriers that limit women’s leadership and representation.

The application period is open until midnight Monday, September 1, with outcomes to be announced by Monday, September 15.

When women do reach leadership positions, they are concentrated in lower levels of management, even in industries with majority-women workforces.

The Institute of Community Directors Australia delivers this intensive six-week leadership journey, featuring three in-person workshops, two online full-day sessions, four hour-long webinars and a mentoring circle.

Participants will complete a leadership strengths assessment before joining a graduation celebration.

The program actively seeks diverse participation, welcoming young women, regional and rural residents, First Nations women, those living with disability, people from varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and LGBTIQA+ women.

For detailed program information, visit communitydirectors.com.au/training/joan-kirner-emerging-leaders-program

By Jaci Hicken

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