Launch of the 2027 Jenny Woodward ABC QCWA Weather Calendar

Minister for Women and Women’s Economic Security, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Minister for Multiculturalism, the Honourable Fiona Simpson MP; Shadow Minister for Women and Member for Waterford, the Honourable Shannon Fentiman MP; State President, Queensland Country Women's Association, Ms Tamara Stephensen; Weather Presenter, 7 PM ABC Queensland News, Ms Jenny Woodward OAM; your colleagues; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen. 

 I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera peoples, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today. 

 Graeme and I are thrilled to be with you all to celebrate an initiative that delivers joy to so many Queenslanders and brings together two of our state’s treasures, Jenny Woodward and the Queensland Country Women’s Association. 

Now in its fifth year, this brilliant partnership and the highly anticipated and much-loved weather calendar produces vital funds for the QCWA and raises awareness of its many valuable activities. 

 Once again, this year’s calendar features images from keen-eyed ABC-viewer-photographers from around the state who have captured the extraordinary diversity and many moods of Queensland. 

 It is a spectacular, lasting testament to the passion of those who have contributed, and it highlights the immense importance of meteorology in our daily lives, particularly for those living in regional and remote areas, where an unfavorable forecast could mean potential devastation to crops and livelihoods. 

 I know that Jenny, as our nation’s longest serving weather presenter, takes her responsibility incredibly seriously.  

Nightly on the ABC, she brings tremendous knowledge, reason and genuine care to her role, to ensure that people around the state are not just better informed but feel seen and included. 

 Likewise, the QCWA, of which I am proud Patron, is an organisation that, for over a century, has given practical assistance to rural communities around our state and provided tangible ways for women to improve their lives. Yet in addition, it has always offered friendship, support and understanding when it is needed, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters, which all-too-often plague our state.  

 This blend of pragmatism and empathy is remarkably powerful, and I'm sure it explains why both Jenny and the QCWA have served Queensland for so long, and with such loyal and appreciative followings. 

 Of course, much has changed in the world since we started watching Jenny on our screens. Gone are her days of driving through peak-hour traffic to the city to collect a physical printout of the next day’s forecast, map and satellite photos from the Bureau, or using magnetic numbers and letters on a board for her nightly presentation. 

 Technology has transformed how weather is forecast and shared, while also enabling innovations such as the QCWA’s Virtual Branch, connecting Queensland women wherever they are. 

 What hasn’t changed though, is the reassuring, down-to-earth presence of Jenny Woodward on our screens, and the QCWA in our communities and I commend them both for their outstanding service to Queenslanders. 

 I also congratulate all of the talented people who have contributed to this year’s calendar. It was another very competitive field, and the decisions about which photos to include must have been extremely difficult.  

Your efforts are stunning, and I know that Graeme, as an occasional photographer, who has now contributed quite a few photos to your nightly bulletin is always delighted to see how others have captured Queensland’s skies and places, in all their beauty and majesty.  

Now, it gives me enormous pleasure to officially launch the 2027 Jenny Woodward ABC/QCWA Weather Calendar, and at the same time encourage Queenslanders to support this very worthwhile initiative.