Wednesday, 5 March 2025

 Michaela SETTLE (Eureka) (10:02): As we near International Women’s Day I would like to acknowledge a group of women who I admire so much, and they are the women of rural Victoria. Last night I was honoured to present the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award. These awards have been recognising amazing women in rural Victoria for 26 years. The award recognises women who are making a real difference in rural communities, whether it be providing remote access to first-aid advice for parents and carers, like last year’s wonderful winner Grace Larson, or the wonderful Nikki Davey from Bacchus Marsh, who two years ago won for her innovative online flower-selling interface. I am delighted to acknowledge this year’s winner Dr Mary Cole, whose work on soil microbiology is helping farmers reduce input costs, improve their soil and futureproof their farm businesses. I also want to acknowledge the two finalists Sherri Symons and Den Lim for their innovation and passion.