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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-03 Daily Xml
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POWER COMMUNITY LTD

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:51): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question regarding Power Community Ltd.

Leave granted.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: Power Community Ltd is the community development arm of the Port Adelaide Football Club. Can the minister please inform us of her recent attendance at the Power Community Ltd Girl Power Leadership Forum?

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) (14:51): Power Community Ltd (PCL) is a separate body created by the Port Adelaide Football Club to plan and deliver community programs in South Australia and the Northern Territory—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: And they do a wonderful job. It is a fantastic organisation, a great team. It aspires to work in partnership with a range of government, corporate and not-for-profit agencies to deliver programs that are focused on leadership, engagement and pathways to employment. PCL currently provides community programs that focus on five audiences: youth, Aboriginal, multicultural, older Australians and young women. I am advised that PCL made the decision this year to extend its secondary schools program, known as the Girl Power program, to also involve a focus on women's leadership and pathways to employment.

The Girl Power program is aimed at young women aged 13 to 16 years who are vulnerable to dropping out of sport and perhaps other things as well. The participants are encouraged to stay involved in team sports during their teenage years, with members of the Port Adelaide Football Club facilitating a coaching clinic and encouraging women to try a new sport. The program also involves women role models visiting schools to discuss positive body image, self-esteem, healthy lifestyles, goal setting and career pathways. I am advised that the program currently engages approximately 500 young women students each year.

Following the decision to include a leadership and employment focus in the program, this year a leadership forum was held to coincide with the Australian Football League (AFL) Women's Round. I was very pleased to be able to speak to year 10 students from Para Hills High School, Banksia Park High School, Gawler High School and Roma Mitchell Secondary College at the forum. They were a wonderful bunch of young women. That was held on Friday 28 June.

I was delighted to be able to share some of my leadership journey and some of my own personal experiences and insights with students, emphasising to them the importance of education, both formal and informal, to the development of their own leadership capabilities. I am advised that over the course of the day the students participated in a series of sessions facilitated by successful women from a range of organisations, including Bendigo Bank, Elders and the ACH Group. These sessions were around the themes of assertiveness and motivation. I understand that as part of the day students and their teachers also attended the AFL Women's Round lunch, with guest speakers Carmel Siciliano, SA Telstra Business Women of the Year and Olympic cycling gold medallist, Anna Meares.

I am advised that at the conclusion of the forum the students were asked to document their career aspirations, and Power Community Ltd is now working to facilitate work opportunities for students consistent with those aspirations. It is an extremely worthwhile cause and one that supports young women from the northern metropolitan areas developing their leadership capabilities and aspirations, and I take this opportunity to congratulate PCL, and all those people who are so committed and work so hard for the organisation, on this most important work. I wish the young women participants every success in their upcoming work experience placements.

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