Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With International Women's Day just around the corner on 8 March, I would like to reflect on this year's theme: be bold for change.    A lot has changed in my electorate for women, and women have led the campaign for change.    While I am the first woman elected for the seat of Braddon, it was Dame Enid Lyons, of the former seat for my region of Darwin, who was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman in the federal cabinet.

As I reflected in my first speech to parliament, Dame Enid has left a rich legacy. Dame Enid knew that she would pave the way for women in the public service for years to come. We have come a long way since Dame Enid, but we still have a long way to go. There are many inspiring women in Braddon today who have led the charge for change. Whether it be in industry, in local government or in other sectors, there are many women who stand out in my electorate. We have leaders such as Professor Janelle Allison, former Pro Vice-Chancellor at the Cradle Coast campus of UTAS; the Managing Director of Caterpillar, Kelly Elphinstone; and the Chairman of the Cradle Coast Authority, Cheryl Bellchambers. We have leaders in government, with the first female president of the state's legislative council, Sue Smith. In local government, we have our mayors: the Mayor of the Burnie City Council, Anita Dow; and the Mayor of the Central Coast Council, Jan Bonde. More locally, in my home town in Devonport, we have former mayors Mary Binks OAM and Lynn Laycock.

There are many other women who often go above and beyond for our community and who often go unrecognised. That is why, in my former role as an alderman on the Devonport City Council, I was proud to support events like Diamonds of Devonport—an event recognising the contributions and achievements of local women—and, running concurrently this year, a program of public forums aimed at educating and empowering women. I would like to thank my former council colleague and the current deputy mayor, Annette Rockliff, for her work in establishing this event five years ago and ensuring it continues today.

There are 130 women who have been named as a Diamond of Devonport. They include women such as Kristy Lockwood, a photographer who generously donates her services to charities and non-profit organisations so they can fundraise from her work; Beth Cahill, who enriches the lives of our elderly residents in their final chapter; and Betty Lehman, who started the Coastal Driving School in the 1960s—the first female licensed driver on the northwest coast—and who continues to assist people with transport needs. These are just some of the women in Devonport who have been recognised for their achievements. There are many more women across the electorate who are doing great things—not for recognition, but because they want to be part of change.

I am inspired by the Tasmanian Minerals and Energy Council—TMEC—which is based in my electorate, for the work that they are doing to change and challenge the perception of women in the minerals and resources sector, to recognise their exceptional contribution and to encourage more women to consider career opportunities in these industries. The Tasmanian Women in Resources awards will be held this May. With Tasmania's past success in the Women in Resources National awards—such as Kelly Jane Down from Bell Bay Aluminium winning the Glencore Outstanding Australian Tradeswoman, Operator or Technician last year—I am sure there will be many exceptional women nominated this year. I encourage those women to nominate.

International Women's Day calls for us to commit to help women and girls achieve their ambitions, to challenge conscious and unconscious bias, to achieve gender balance in leadership, to value women's and men's contributions equally and to create inclusive and flexible cultures. On 8 March this year and, indeed, on every day, I will make it my mission to be bold for change. Let us stand up and do what we can to demonstrate our potential to be the leaders of change.