Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sometimes there are moments that give me an enormous sense of privilege, honour and deep gratitude to be serving as the member for Robertson. I actually want to pay tribute to my colleague on the other side of the chamber the member for Barton. I had the absolute privilege of going this weekend to visit the Glen for Women in Yarramalong. It's due to open in late April. There will be 20 beds. It is one of the most extraordinary, most beautiful places that you will ever visit. The tranquillity, the beauty, the care and the thoughtfulness of every single aspect of the design are something we can all be incredibly proud of.

This is something that has been a long-held dream for so many people here on the Central Coast, and particularly the incredible community at the Glen for men, led by Joe Coyte but surrounded by an incredible community, every single one of them determined to never leave another person behind. In saying this, I want to pay tribute to some incredible female voices in that community—Aunty Cheryl, Aunty Coral and Aunty Jan—who were absolutely determined to see the success of the Glen for men replicated in a centre that we are now seeing become a reality. It is due to open in late April, thanks to a $9 million investment from the federal government but actually driven by determination, passion and a vision of this incredible community and these women who were determined to make sure that their daughters and their granddaughters would not be left behind and that the experiences of the past, the challenges of the past, would not be the challenges of the future.

I had the incredible privilege to be able to bring the Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon. Ken Wyatt, to visit the Glen for Women at Yarramalong. We also had the opportunity to meet with the Darkinjung Aboriginal Land Council and the NAISDA Dance College at Kariong. This commitment, this investment, this incredible centre of hope, is about more than just beds and a program around drug and alcohol rehabilitation that is culturally appropriate. This is about a heart, a community, a family, a determination to make sure that we have a better future tomorrow than what we have today, for all Australians.

I pay tribute to all of those at the Glen, including Joe Coyte, Kylie and the incredible team that has been involved with their heart, their soul, their mind and their strength in planning every single detail of what I know is going to be a legacy for generations to come.

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