Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Members statements

International Women’s Day

Ms WILLIAMS (Dandenong—Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) (12:41): On this International Women’s Day I rise to knowledge every woman in this state and pay tribute in particular to the women of Dandenong who have done so much for my local community during the pandemic—women who have kept us together and kept us safe for the past two years.

I pay tribute to Selba Luka, the 2021 City of Greater Dandenong Citizen of the Year, for her work with Afri-Aus Care to create a safe place for women and families to share their stories, overcome trauma and build lasting relationships; to the leaders of our schools; to the parents who took on the load of homeschooling; and to the teachers who ensured that students were supported and kept school communities together and connected. I pay tribute to the leaders of local government—to Eden Foster, Angela Long, Sophie Tan, Lana Formoso and Rhonda Garad from the City of Greater Dandenong—who stepped up when their communities needed them most; the leaders of business and industry that helped keep our communities working—women like Vonda Fenwick, a leading advocate for manufacturers and job creation in the south-east; the women volunteers who spent their time providing material aid to those in need, such as Zakia Baig of the Australian Hazara Women’s Friendship Network, and Ashvina De Zoysa, the founder of Cook4CALD, which provides nutritious and quality home-cooked meals; and the women who took on, more than ever before, the bulk of unpaid work in the home when they were already shouldering the burden of unpaid work. It is for these women and for every woman that the Andrews Labor government continues to drive the boldest social reform agenda in the nation—with gender equality at its very heart.