Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

Today, as we celebrate International Women's Day, I'd like to draw your attention, Madam Deputy Speaker, to the remarkable women in my community—women who have broken barriers in traditionally male-dominated fields. One woman, Gina Field, who for over 25 years has been leading Nepean Regional Security, has picked up numerous awards along the way. We have female doctor Dr Nhi Nguyen, who, during COVID, provided a calming and reassuring voice. She stood up in press conferences and helped lead the charge against COVID. She is at our own Nepean Hospital. We have Penrith's own gold medallist Jess Fox, who has inspired young girls right across our country to pursue their dreams. They have been inspired to go for Olympic gold and pursue their passion in sport. We also have women who have devoted their lives to serving others, like Katie from YAMHS, who works tirelessly as a volunteer to improve the lives of young people struggling with mental health. People like Katie are the backbone of our community.

However, we cannot talk about women's empowerment in our local community without acknowledging that we still have a lot of work to do, particularly in getting ourselves off the top of the list when it comes to domestic violence in our state of New South Wales. We need to do more. We need to educate our young people about healthy relationships and we need to hold perpetrators to account. Without this, we can't have women's empowerment. It is an important day to acknowledge the successes but also to remember all the work we still have to do.

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