Mia Doering
Raised on a mixed farming operation near Moree and now the Safety and Welfare Officer at Consolidated Pastoral Company, Mia Doering has built a career that moves between choppers, stock camps and boardrooms. Her story is about backing yourself, lifting others and shaping a culture where women are valued every day for the work they do.
The camera is barely rolling when Mia Doering starts laughing at herself, half-fixing a belt that “really should be the feature,” half-trying to sit up straighter. She is animated, candid, quick to fold the nerves back into humour. It is the same energy she brings to work, where her job is equal parts leadership and translation, turning the realities of station life into practical systems that keep people safe and the operation humming.
Could you tell me about your connection to agriculture?
I was lucky enough to be born into a farming family. I grew up on our property near Moree, a diverse farming operation, including our Santa Gertrudis stud and commercial cattle, as well as cropping. Pursuing a career in agriculture isn’t always something I think farmers' daughters feel like they can do, but I’ve never considered a career in anything but agriculture. I feel so lucky that my connection to family farming gave me a stepping stone into a corporate role, where I’m working for a large agricultural company and exposing myself to the northern pastoral industry.
How did you find yourself in this role, and what does your day-to-day look like?
I don’t think I ever would have found this job myself, they actually found me through my LinkedIn profile, seeing that my experience in stock camps in northern Australia would be valuable. I work alongside our operational teams to improve our safety performance. I’m very lucky that I get to work alongside our managers, headstockmen and leadership teams in a training role that makes everyone safer but still gets the job done. To me, it's about communicating that safety performance correlates directly with operational efficiency, and it's just about doing a good job.
One of the best parts of the job has to be getting to work with all the individual station teams – from central Queensland, to the Northern Territory, to the Kimberley. Working with people from all walks of life and traveling to the most beautiful parts of Australia.
How do you think the role of women is changing across agriculture?
At Consolidated Pastoral Company, women now make up more than fifty percent of our workforce. It's so exciting to see women playing such a hands-on role on the ground, as well as taking up positions through the leadership and management side of things as well. We’re always hiring for the best candidate, no matter male or female, the best person for the job will always get the role. I think now we’re just getting more really strong female candidates that are bloody good at what they do. The girls are working alongside some of our best cowboys and giving them a run for their money!
How do you think we can best celebrate rural women?
By improving our culture on the ground. That means every day, not just at the start of the season. When we’re in the thick of it, we just want to be acknowledged by being valued by our teams.
What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in agriculture?
Oh I love getting asked this question! Back yourself.
