The trailblazing mayor hopes being named emerging political leader of the year can empower her remote community

When Vonda Malone was elected as the first female mayor of the Torres Shire council in 2016, she was well accustomed to breaking new ground.

“I’ve broken a lot of glass ceilings,” she says. “I was the first Torres Strait Islander woman to work as an Australian diplomat, and the first Torres Strait Islander woman to go to the United Nations and complete the Indigenous Fellowship Program. If I wanted to do something, I just gave it a go. I wasn’t going to be limited by the fact I was from an isolated island community.”

It gives me a huge boost in confidence to continue what I’m doing Vonda Malone

Now, having been named an inaugural winner of the McKinnon prize for political leadership, Malone can add another first to her list. At a time when public trust in politicians is declining, the award was established by the University of Melbourne and the Susan McKinnon Foundation to recognise those in public office demonstrating integrity and courage.

The judging panel, which included former prime ministers Julia Gillard and John Howard, chose Malone as the emerging political leader of the year for her work finding community-led solutions for critical issues in the Torres Strait Islands such as waste management, housing shortages and healthcare.

“To be chosen for this has confirmed that all the hard work I’ve done over the years, to have the right approach and the right values and principles around leadership, has paid off,” Malone said. “It gives me a huge boost in confidence to continue what I’m doing.”

The Liberal senator Dean Smith was named political leader of the year for his bipartisan leadership on marriage equality.

'The island is being eaten': how climate change is threatening the Torres Strait Read more

Malone, who was born and raised on Thursday Island, has been working in government and community organisations for more than 20 years. Among other things, she is the founding executive director of the Torres Heath Indigenous Corporation, a director of Community Enterprise Queensland, and a member of the Indigenous Reference Group for Development Northern Australia.

Malone says the leadership role models she grew up with primarily came from within her family. “I come from a family with a very strong mother and a very strong grandmother. They kept me grounded and I have principles and cultural values that I apply to everything I do.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Torres Strait’s Murray Island. Malone wants to cement the region as a tourist destination. Photograph: Ray Berkelmans/Australian Institute of Marine Science

After unsuccessfully running for mayor in 2012, Malone spent the next two years completing a number of leadership programs and gaining the trust of her community. In 2016, she had a resounding win over the incumbent Pedro Stephen who had held the position for more than 20 years.



King tide driven by super blue blood moon inundates Torres Strait island Read more

“There was a need for change and that was shown very strongly with the election response,” Malone says.



In addition to her focus on housing, health and waste management, Malone wants to cement the Torres Strait as an international tourist destination, empowering Indigenous businesses and boosting local employment. She is committed to ensuring Torres Strait Islander voices are heard and taken seriously in Canberra and internationally, especially on global issues such as climate change. The Torres Strait Islands are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change.

“Australia often looks at [climate change and rising sea levels] as an issue that’s in the Pacific or other parts of the world, but this is an issue within Australia and on the doorstep of our country, and we need to stop turning a blind eye to it.”



She says being a trailblazer can be a “lonely road” but she hopes to use her success to empower other women in her community.



“I would hope that I could mentor and support other women to consider putting themselves forward, so I won’t be the lone voice at the table.”