David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to commend a group that is doing great work in my electorate and across the St George area in Sydney—the Pakistani Australian Women Association, or PAWA. PAWA advocates for South Asian women and their families on issues affecting them and our local community. It provides social support to women to a number of programs, links them with local services and offers networking opportunities with other communities and organisations.

PAWA has delivered many great programs and events in our area to help support the Pakistani-Australian community. This has included organising a cultural food fair, which was the culmination of a permaculture education project run by local residents to learn about sustainable gardening and cooking in a safe and social environment. Other activities have included establishing a fund to assist victims of domestic violence, providing social support services to victims of domestic violence and their families, participation in a cultural diversity day, organising volunteers to visit detainees at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre and a number of other activities, including launching the Green Corner at Rockdale City Library.

In recent meetings, PAWA has raised with me its concerns about the lack of Urdu translators in our area and the need for services for victims of domestic violence. I will be working with the organisation to address both of these important matters. I congratulate PAWA on its ongoing activities.