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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-03-21 Daily Xml
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:17): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question regarding International Women's Day events being held in Adelaide this year.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: International Women's Day is a great opportunity for women and men to come together and celebrate what has been achieved in the last year in our community to promote gender equality. Every year, Adelaide sees a range of International Women's Day events being held here, organised by a variety of passionate and committed people. Can the minister tell the chamber about the International Women's Day events that happened here in Adelaide?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:18): The South Australian community again came together this year to acknowledge the important work of women in our communities through a range of events and forums spread across the week and culminating in the annual International Women's Day, which falls on 8 March. This year's International Women's Day luncheon was held on Thursday 7 March at the Adelaide Convention Centre and marked the 75th anniversary of the IWD Committee of South Australia Inc. I congratulate the committee on its dedicated service to South Australian women over this time, and I am very pleased to speak about the wonderful women who were honoured this year at the luncheon.

I am advised that Toni Jupe, former president, presented Irene Bell Community Award to four outstanding women this year. They are: Rachel Bishop, for work supporting parents whose children suffer from serious heart disease; Dianne Bartell, a volunteer who has given 10,000 hours of her time to Zonta; Barbara Donnelly, a volunteer with the Girl Guides for over 50 years; and Lois Brock OAM. Lois has volunteered for over 20 years with the Southern Cross and also makes time to volunteer with a number of different organisations.

This year a new award was launched: the Young Women's Community and Spirit Award. The award seeks to acknowledge South Australian women aged 12 to 30 years who endeavour to make the community a better place through their skills and dedication. This inaugural award went to Anania Tagaro and I am advised that Anania has been a very active member of the youth led movement in Australia for a number of years and most recently has participated in the End Poverty awareness caravan and continues to play an active role in the Migrant Women's Lobby Group.

The UN Women International Women's Day Breakfast was hosted by the wonderful Penny Wong this year with guest speaker, Dr Anne Summers, to mark the occasion. We saw the IWD March and Festival which began at the State Library lawns. It was wonderful to see the South Australian Feminist Collective, Working Women's Centre, Women's Services Network and a wide range of other important women's organisations attend that.

These awards and all the activities that occur through the week marking International Women's Day are a way in which we can say thank you for the extraordinary lengths some women go to in creating a better society, usually without any public acknowledgement, and I hope that the chamber continues to go along to these events, and I encourage them to do so in 2014.

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