Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to praise the efforts of three remarkable women who have each been recognised as a local woman of the year for 2017. These awards recognise outstanding contributions made by women who go above and beyond in their communities. In my electorate of Greenway, three women received this honour in 2017, covering Blacktown, Riverstone and Seven Hills.

The 2017 Blacktown woman of the year is Elfa Moraitakis, Chief Executive Officer of SydWest Multicultural Services. SydWest is an exceptional community support service based in Blacktown which assists people from ethnically and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Elfa is an incredibly hardworking and passionate advocate for women in our community, especially those going through the settlement journey. Elfa is an outspoken supporter for action against the scourge of domestic violence, which, unfortunately, disproportionately affects women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly in such a multicultural part of Australia as mine. Elfa is also dedicated to empowering women through education. The esteem in which SydWest is held in our community is a testament to Elfa's dedication and leadership and, of course, to the way in which she inspires her whole team.

The Riverstone woman of the year is Nicole Winram, a resident of Stanhope Gardens who is a community advocate for cancer patients and palliative care and one of the most driven people I have ever met. Her work was born out of the experiences of her late husband, who passed away eight years ago from oesophageal cancer. Nicole has been a tireless advocate for reducing the cost burdens on cancer patients and has been involved with the Cancer Council's CanAct volunteer program, along with the New South Wales Saving Life campaign. As a result of her advocacy, in 2015 the New South Wales government removed co-payments on many specialised cancer drugs. Nicole continues to agitate for improved palliative care services, including working with Westmead Hospital to move palliative care out of the oncology ward and into a trial standalone ward. Nicole is an inspiring woman who has been rightly recognised for her commitment to improving the lives of people and families affected by cancer.

The Seven Hills woman of the year for 2017 is Joan van den Burg, a fellow resident of Glenwood and the administrative director of Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club. Locally, the club is renowned for its work assisting North West Disability Services, as well is its annual Australia Day breakfast and citizenship ceremony. Joan has worked in child protection and disability services, and it is wonderful to see that she has continued to pursue these passions in her volunteer work with rotary. Remarkably, when Joan first became involved with Rotary, women were not even allowed to become Rotary members. Joan has made a remarkable contribution to the efforts of Rotary in our community over many years. It is so pleasing to see her efforts and passion recognised. I warmly congratulate Elfa, Nicole and Joan on their rightful recognition as local women of the year.