Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Nicole Chiesa, one of the two recipients of the 2026 Tim Fischer Fellowship. Photo supplied
North Queensland agricultural business owner and Link 2 Country co-founder Nicole Chiesa has been named one of the 2026 Tim Fischer Fellows, receiving access to a national CEF support network to bring ambitious education projects with the potential to create lasting change across rural and regional Australia to life.
Established in honour of former Deputy Prime Minister and CEF founding Patron Tim Fischer AC, the Fellowship backs people with the vision, passion and practical ideas to create meaningful opportunities for rural and regional communities.
CEF CEO Wendy Mason said the decision reflected both the strength of this year’s applications and the enormous potential of Nicole's project.
“The Tim Fischer Fellowship was created to back people who understand regional Australia, who see an opportunity to make a difference and have the determination to turn an idea into something practical,” Ms Mason said.
This year the panel was presented with two exceptional projects addressing very different, but equally important, challenges facing regional communities. Rather than choose between them, they invested in both.
“Nicole and Erin [the other recipient] share the qualities this Fellowship is designed to support — strong connections to rural and regional communities, a genuine commitment to education and a clear vision for creating change that can extend well beyond the life of the Fellowship.”
Nicole Chiesa, from Ingham, will use her Fellowship to expand the Agri Life Skills Program developed through social enterprise Link 2 Country, creating a repeatable model that can be delivered through agricultural shows, field days, careers expos and community events across rural and regional Australia.
Drawing on a career with experience across cattle stations, agricultural education, rural merchandise and her family’s sugarcane harvesting business, Nicole has seen first-hand the difficulties regional businesses can face attracting the next generation of workers.
The Agri Life Skills Program gives young people hands-on exposure to agriculture and other regional industries while connecting them directly with employers, education providers and training pathways. More than 1,000 young people have already participated in Link 2 Country initiatives, developing practical and employability skills while discovering careers they may otherwise never have considered.
Nicole will use the Fellowship to develop a digital platform supporting school registrations, compliance, resources and communication, together with a repeatable program model that communities can adapt to their own industries, workforce needs and opportunities.
“For me, this is about giving young people the chance to have a go, discover what interests them and meet the people who can help open doors for their future,” Ms Chiesa said.
“There are incredible careers and opportunities in rural and regional Australia, but young people need the chance to see and experience them. By bringing education, industry and community together, we can help young people make informed choices about their future while building stronger, more connected regional communities.”
CEF Chair Nick Burton Taylor said both projects reflected Tim Fischer’s belief in the transformative power of education and opportunity for people living outside Australia’s major cities.
“Tim understood that where you live should never determine the opportunities available to you,” Mr Burton Taylor said.
Tim Fischer’s wife Judy Brewer said she believed her late husband would have been immensely proud to see the Fellowship supporting two projects with such strong connections to regional people and communities.
“Tim was passionate about regional Australia and particularly about giving people, wherever they live, the education, confidence and opportunities they needed to build their futures,” Ms Brewer said.
“He believed strongly in people who were prepared to have a go and turn good ideas into practical action."
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