TELSTRA BUSINESS WOMEN'S AWARD

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:33): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about the Telstra Business Women's Award.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: Since 1995 the Telstra Business Women's Award has been recognising and rewarding Australian women for their contribution to business and the wider community. Will the minister inform the chamber of the outcome of the 2011 awards?

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, Minister for Gambling) (15:33): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and was delighted to yet again attend and speak at the recent Telstra Business Women's Award held at the Hilton here in Adelaide on 16 September. As members may be aware, there are five categories of awards available to Australian businesswomen: the Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award, the Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award, the White Pages Community and Government Award, the Nokia Business Innovation Award and the marie claire Young Business Women's Award.

Awards are offered in each category in every state and territory, with women eligible for the national finals in November, and the Telstra South Australian Business Woman of the Year Award is also given each year. Members would no doubt have seen Ms Kelly Baker-Jamieson on the front page of Saturday's Advertiser. Kelly launched Edible Blooms in Brisbane while also leading the marketing team at a very large legal firm. Within a year Kelly also opened stores in Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, expanding her previous product range of fruit bouquets to chocolate bouquets and next-day delivery all over Australia. The New Zealand expansion followed in 2008.

The next logical step for many businesses may have been franchising, but Kelly opted for less saturation and more sustainable growth via an extensive delivery service and a small network of company-owned stores. At just 33 Kelly employs a team of 25, all of whom benefit from a bonus structure that she has introduced to drive and recognise performance and help manage business costs. With revenue growth averaging about 35 per cent per annum over the past three years, Kelly is now planning her expansion into the United Kingdom.

I am pleased to advise that Kelly also won the Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award and the marie claire Young Business Women's Award. In fact, she is no stranger to awards, with her business winning the Telstra South Australian Business of the Year prize two years ago.

Other winners who received their awards on Friday included Theressa Hines, Global Director for Environment, Health and Safety for appliance giant Electrolux, who received the Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award. Fiona Godfrey, Principal of St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School, received the White Pages Community and Government Award, and Cathryn Harris, Mount Gambier Library Manager, received the Nokia Business Innovation Award.

The Telstra South Australian Business Woman's Award has gone to some of South Australia's—indeed, Australia's—most influential women. Past recipients include physicist and Scientist of the Year Tanya Monro, Chief Executive of the Adelaide Festival Kate Gould, Tammy May from MyBudget, and food author and restaurateur Maggie Beer. This year's winners joined this list of amazing achievers, and they will no doubt continue to inspire future generations of businesswomen, no doubt as well as businessmen. I wish Kelly lots of good luck in the finals, which will be held in Melbourne on 18 November 2011.