Micaela Drieberg

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mums and care givers 🧡 So aside from the flowers and the sleep in that are hopefully a non-negotiable for mum this Mother’s Day, what else could really turn the dial for future generations of mothers?

That’s a wrap on this year’s Women Deliver! 2026 brought the world to Naarm - and put a spotlight on the power of local, First Nations and Pacific feminist leadership. Change called us. We laughed, we cried, we danced and we despaired. But above all, we connected. So what did we learn over the few days? The message was clear: progress on gender equality is under pressure, but the path forward is stronger when we collaborate and are led by those with lived experience. The focus now is action - shifting power, backing communities, and turning global momentum into real change here in Victoria. Shout out to all of you who visited our exhibit space, said hello as we passed by and took the time to learn more about the amazing work happening across our state. Special thank you to our own Rani Engineer for bringing the exhibit space together (and creating this fab wrap up video)! Until we meet again 🧡 #Womedeliver2026 #GenderEquity

It was a challenge racing from a junior soccer team match to the ABC radio studio - but I made it! Thanks to @jacintaparsons for having me on the show for a speed chat about all things gender equity, the importance of place naming and recognizing the legacies that incredible women have left to shape where we live today. Jacinta is clearly a gender equity advocate herself with a distinct gendered flavour to her show (as is ABC with a star dedicated to their long serving receptionist!) so I’m looking forward to heading back - and welcoming her as a @genderequityvic member! #puthernameonit

To my kids, I’m just mum. To my kids’ school friends and families, I’m just Anderson & Regan’s mum. But earlier this week I got to share my alter ego - a former City of Monash Mayor. My kids don’t quite understand what it means yet, but they know it’s special and kinda cool so when I offered to give my kids school a presentation about all things local government I was pleasantly surprised when my son refused my suggestion to bring a current Mayor with me (in all their robes & chains glory). I pulled out some old photos, mayoral paraphernalia and went armed with goodies thanks to Glen Eira Council and Cr Arabella Daniel - and managed to keep 100 nine year olds vaguely captivated for a good hour. Were there some curly questions? Sure. Did I managed to slip in some gender related messages? You bet I did. Any future Mayors in the crowd? I hope so. This was always one of my favourite parts of being a Mayor - sharing the important role that local government has in our communities and breaking a few age old stereotypes while I was at it. Based on this week and the thoughtful interest, our future looks promising and I THINK my sons may be just a little bit proud of their mum.

March was a big month professionally but personally, it also brought big changes. 🐾 Meet Kaia, our newest family member! Kaia has brought so much joy into our lives already despite not having the best start to her own life. She’s only one year old and already had a litter of puppies. But Kaia is one of the lucky ones. She was surrendered not long afterwards and now has a chance for a full life and is young enough that she will hopefully adjust quickly (which she is!). Queen Zoe had a similar initial experience but at 6 years old when we first met, she was used as a breeding machine for much longer. But this is all thankfully in the past for Kaia. In a few short weeks she’s adjusted to wholesome food, enjoys her daily walks, learned how to sit, use a dog door, play ball and that cuddles with her family are much nicer than hiding in a corner. She’s a little handsy (finally being a puppy with her little paws) and whimpers to play with any living creature that walks past us, but eager to learn. Apologies in advance for the Kaia spam! #adoptdontshop

We did it! We hit the gender equality target well ahead of schedule 🎯 As Planning Minister @sonyakilkennymp announced today, 70% of new commemorative place names in Victoria have been named after women. This massive milestone ticks off a key action outlined in the Victorian Government's 2023-27 strategy for gender equality, and we could not be prouder to have contributed through our @puthernameonit campaign. For too long, women's achievements throughout history have been forgotten, minimised or erased. By bringing women's stories out of obscurity and into our public spaces, we are balancing the scales of history and shining a light on everyone who's helped shape the Victoria we know today. Thank you to all the individuals, communities and organisations who have walked with us on this journey to put more women on the map. GEN VIC CEO @micaela_drieberg and Chairperson Julie Kun were delighted to celebrate today with Minister Kilkenny and @lordmayormelb @nickreecemelbourne as well as our friends at Geographic Names Victoria, @sheshapeshistory , @qvwc_melbourne and @municipalassociationofvictoria . The road to commemorative justice doesn't end here. There's still plenty left to do to keep up the momentum. Find out more about our Put Her Name On It campaign and how you can get involved via the link in our bio 🔗

International Women's Day started early for our CEO @micaela_drieberg . She was on Channel 9 this morning talking about the importance of honouring women's history alongside the amazing Sita Sargeant, CEO of GEN VIC member organisation @sheshapeshistory . In Micaela's words, you can't be what you can't see. And for too long, women's achievements have been forgotten, minimised or erased altogether. When there are more statues of animals than there are of women, what does that say about our society? That's why we're proud of the work we do through our @puthernameonit campaign, which empowers people across Victoria to put women on the map. By bringing the contributions of women and gender diverse people out of obscurity and into our public spaces, we can balance the scales of history. And it's as simple as nominating a remarkable woman you know to have a street or public place named after her through @dtpvicgov 's Remember A Local - Name A Place program. International Women's Day isn't about fancy cupcakes. It's about celebrating the women who came before us, and working together to create a better future for the women who will come after us 💪

Our CEO @micaela_drieberg was delighted to meet with the new Minister for Women @maryannethomasmp this afternoon to discuss how the state government can further empower Victorians of all genders. GEN VIC has lots on the agenda for 2026 and it was fantastic to share some of our priorities, including our work: ⚡ Supporting women and gender diverse people to access and thrive in leadership ⚡ Honouring and celebrating women's achievements in public spaces @puthernameonit ⚡ Rectifying unequal laws and policies for women and gender diverse people ⚡ Coordinating Victoria's gender equity sector at @women_deliver We look forward to working with Mary-Anne in the year ahead! We will be organising a Meet & Greet with the Minister for GEN VIC members in the coming weeks - watch this space! 👀 Swipe to see the Minister and Micaela enjoying one of GEN VIC's favourite reads right now: She Shapes History by @sheshapeshistory founder Sita Sargeant.

Rest in Peace Queen Zoe 🌈 🐾 In her own unique style, Zoe chose to enjoy the last couple of slower weeks enjoying family time, cuddles on the couch and too many Christmas treats. Then she crossed the rainbow bridge, in her safe space, asleep on my lap. 18 years on this earth and 12 by my side. Zoe’s real life began at 6 years old and she maximized her new beginning as only she could. I’ve only ever adopted pets and always will. When we’re ready, I’ll give another doggie or 2 a loving, slightly wild, home. They love extra hard, and watching them evolve to their true self is beautiful. Our canine friends are precious gifts. Give yours an extra hug for me ❤️

Naarm turned it on today to showcase hidden stories and legacies left by incredible women who shaped the city I live in. Do you recognize any places and the herstory behind them? Thanks @sheshapeshistory for a fabulous morning celebrating my BFF’s birthday!

Today is the International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women. It’s also the first day of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence . So how do we even begin to address this wicked problem? Well we start with respect and one way we can do that is by respecting women’s capabilities as leaders. Today I had the honour of facilitating a panel at the Women Leaders Institute Women in Leadership Summit exploring how we lead when there is no playbook. Panelists including Muriel Bamblett , Dr Jill Gallagher AO and Angela Nolan shared incredible stories of inspiration leading under challenging circumstances. But the common theme? Making your own plays can sometimes be a blessing. I also shared my own call to action to lead loudly. Lead with your whole self. If you need to leave early to pick the kids up, say it. Taking Dad to an appointment? Pining pet at home? That’s fine too. Because even if you think your actions are small, someone is watching, learning and growing. And small things lead to big changes. #16Days #womenleaders #leadloudly

We 🧡 multi-tasking leaders! One of these CEOs bakes cookies and the other makes earrings. For fun. After long days advocating for gender equity. But hey, whatever relaxes you right? But can you guess who does what? We’ll give you a hint. It may be Antoinette Braybrook AM or could be Micaela Drieberg.