Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Central Coast is home to truly inspirational women. I congratulate Julie Vaughan, Group Leader of Connected Communities at Central Coast Council, a worthy recipient of an International Women's Day New South Wales Women in Local Government Award. Julie has made an extraordinary contribution in over a decade of service to local government, and it was an absolute pleasure working with her during my time as a councillor for Wyong Shire. Among Julie's most recent successes is the Love Lanes Festival, which transformed the Wyong CBD and showcased the extraordinary talent of our community. My mum, Barbie—fifth-generation Wyong—was so excited by the energy in our home town. Thank you, Julie, for your work, which makes our home an even better place to live.

It was a privilege to open the Central Coast Community Women's Health Centre's annual International Women's Day forum. The centre has been working to improve women's health on the Coast since 1976. Thank you Xylia and your dedicated team. The Central Coast's newest women's movement, She Story, was spectacularly launched on International Women's Day. We heard the stories of Gina Jeffreys, Pauline Wright and the formidable Liesl Tesch, Paralympian, gold medallist and Labor candidate for Gosford. Thank you to Suzy Miller and Tiffany Doman for your work empowering women on the Central Coast. Thank you to the women of the Central Coast and women of the world who live boldly for change every day in our communities and across the world.