Legislative Council Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time White Ribbon Day WHITE RIBBON DAY The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS Legislative Council WHITE RIBBON DAY The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:02): As a supplementary question, what planning, if any, has there been by the minister's department to assist regional and suburban communities to conduct 'men in the mall' type functions in their own localities? The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy WHITE RIBBON DAY The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his most important question, and I believe that he himself is a White Ribbon Ambassador. The Hon. I.K. Hunter Legislative Council The Hon. I.K. Hunter: He was there in the mall. The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Yes, of course he was. I am sorry that I did not acknowledge that. I thank the Hon. John Dawkins for his support and for taking up the responsibility of being a White Ribbon Ambassador. It is most important that this message goes out from men to other men. For it to be really successful, it is important that we set up a network of ambassadors who can speak out and speak up, and involve others and spread the message about the importance of stopping violence against women and how unacceptable it is. One of the things that we are trying to do is coordinate. I think the agency has conducted a number of meetings encouraging ambassadors to come together and trying to get them to think about and initiate events at their workplace or in their regional location to spread the message. I certainly invite the Hon. John Dawkins to think about the sorts of things that he believes might be appropriate in his region. I am sure that he would have been invited to those meetings. The agency is very happy to assist ambassadors to conduct events to spread the message.