JUNE 2018 | The Australian Women’s Weekly 93
Tanya Plibersek
Deputy Leader of the Opposition,
Shadow Minister for Education & Training
One of the many hats Tanya Plibersek wears is
Shadow Minister for Women, which gives her
the opportunity to meet extraordinary young
women. And judging the Women of the Future
Awards will allow her to meet even more. “This
whole generation ills me with optimism,” she
says. Tanya is inspired by previous generations,
too, and says that if she could erect a statue of
one woman it would be Margaret Whitlam,
“partly because she herself was a fantastic
human being but also because she was
symbolic of a generation of women” whose
talents weren’t always recognised. “There is no
question that Margaret could have been Prime
Minister,” Tanya insists. “She was a de facto
member of parliament. She did as much work as
Gough in the electorate and she raised four kids
almost single-handed. Why is there no statue?”
Ronni Kahn
CEO and Founder, OzHarvest
Ronni Kahn founded food rescue organisation
OzHarvest in 2004. Her passion and courage
enabled her to create a not-for-proit that
saves surplus food from going to waste and
distributes it to charities. Ronni says her
natural optimism has helped to achieve her
goal. “If you think something’s possible,
you don’t actually question that it’s possible, you
question how you’re going to get there.” She
wants to inspire young women to dig deep
and ind their inner strength. “When you’re
in alignment with your values, there’s nothing
to doubt ... listen to that voice and trust in
that voice. It is what will guide you.” AWWwomen
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