RURAL WOMEN'S AWARDS

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (14:43): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about rural women's awards.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: With International Women's Day being held this week and with all the celebrations, breakfasts, lunches and marches in the city celebrating 100 years of IWD commemorations, I would like to shift the focus for a moment here today to the sisters in rural and regional SA. Will the minister advise what is being done to recognise women living in rural areas?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. As Minister for the Status of Women and also Minister for Regional Development, I am obviously very committed to ensuring that women are able to gain expertise and necessary skills to contribute as key decision-makers and leaders in our community.

It is particularly important to support rural and regional women as they do indeed make a very significant contribution to their communities and our state, often under very difficult circumstances and often with very little recognition. The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation's Rural Women's Award is Australia's pre-eminent award that recognises and encourages rural women's contribution to primary industries, resource development and rural Australia.

Supported by the Department for Primary Industries and Resources, the award is a leadership and capacity-building initiative that is designed to help build skills and assist women to contribute more effectively to leadership decision-making in primary industries. A $10,000 prize is the major award for each state and territory winner to support their own professional development. It provides them with the resources to develop their vision into a new project or initiative that will benefit primary industries and rural Australia. Award winners and runners-up are also invited to attend the Australian Institute of Company Directors course in Canberra, and I understand that those recipients who have attended that course speak very highly of it and state that they have gained a great deal from it.

I am very pleased to advise that the South Australian Rural Women's Awards for 2011 were announced early this year. South Australia's Rural Woman of the Year is Kim Blenkiron. Kim is the state coordinator with Partners in Grain and is based in Strathalbyn, where she helps run the family farm. She will use the award to attend Essential Conservations for Developing Others, a four-day training program to learn coaching skills, which she will then pass on to others. I am advised that she then intends to offer this workshop to the three Partners in Grain groups in South Australia.

The runner-up for this year is Ms Rebecca Williams. Ms Williams' name may be familiar to many members here, as she is the daughter-in-law of Mitch Williams, Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms Williams lives in Koolunga with her family and works for the Future Farmers Network. I understand that the Future Farmers Network is Australia's national network for young people in rural industries, functioning since 2002. The network operates primarily online, providing members with monthly email correspondence and also opportunities to discuss agricultural issues via those online discussions.

State and territory winners will be interviewed by a national selection panel for the title of the Australian Rural Women's Award 2011, winner and runner-up, which will be announced at the awards national dinner in May 2011 in Canberra during the week of the company directors course. Events such as the Rural Women's Award highlight the important roles that women play in our communities, and I wish the winners success with their continued leadership journey and I look forward to hearing the announcement of the national winner in May. I also wish them lots of luck and hope that South Australia is able to win at a national level.