Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In the area of Parramatta we have a woman who has to be called a hero and her name is Rosemary Kariuki. On Australia Day she was named Australia's Local Hero for 2021, which is much deserved. She is an extraordinary woman. The awarding of Rosemary in this way gives me an opportunity to focus not just on Rosemary herself but on the people that Rosemary cares about that led her to this recognition. By day Rosemary is a multicultural community liaison officer for the Parramatta Police, but for the rest of the time she works with people who are lonely and isolated by domestic violence, by poverty, by trauma, by language difficulties and finds a place for them. She helps them find comfort in Australia. She works with our newest migrants, people who come here from all over the world, sometimes with terrible stories, sometimes with lost family members, sometimes separated from children—all sorts of stories. She seeks them out and makes them stronger.

When I first met Rosemary she came to me because she was going to start an African women's dinner dance because she thought African women—of which she is one; she came from Kenya in 1999 and suffered loneliness for a few years—needed to be brought together. She came to me for help. I went to that first dinner dance and there was a little group of Somali women over there very quietly and a group of women from Kenya there. The only ones who were loud were the Nigerians. Those of us who have Nigerian communities will know exactly what I mean. They are totally fabulous and not just the colour of their clothing. They're just amazing people. But they were quite separate. Now 14 years later 400 people turn up to that dinner dance every year. Men aren't allowed. Laurie Ferguson gets invited every year but other than Laurie no-one else. Now the confidence of these women—they have changed so much. They proudly stand there with their full history on display, recognising absolutely who they are, where they come from, where they are now. They're an extraordinary bunch of people and Rosemary has done that. She also organised the African village market for four years and now she organises women travelling to country areas to stay on farms with local families to get to know other Australians and get to know the Australian landscape. She is an extraordinary woman.

There are two places where you can go to really find out about what Rosemary does, and I'm going to suggest to people they do this. I will put a link on my Facebook. Go to the Australia Day site and have a look at her acceptance speech, because that tells you who she is. She will tell you, 'Next week, go and introduce yourself to someone from a different culture. Make a difference.' The other thing is a film called Rosemary's Way, which documents Rosemary's day and what she does and how she helps people. Rosemary's Way is an amazing film and it will introduce you to the lives of people that are hidden in our community—people who are isolated, stay home, aren't game to come out, aren't comfortable, and don't know how to be in Australia yet and need our help to do that. They're the people that Rosemary works with. Her award gives me an opportunity to tell people how to find out about Rosemary and what she does. She is amazing.

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