Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In just 10 days time I'll be joining my community of Newcastle and many other people around Australia to celebrate NAIDOC Week. The 2018 theme is 'Because of her, we can!' This is a fantastic opportunity to take part in celebrations of the essential roles that women have played and continue to play and to celebrate women who are active and significant role models in the community at local, state and national level.

At the outset, I want to pay tribute to three women who have influenced me at the national level. The first is June Oscar, a Bunuba woman from Fitzroy Crossing who I had the honour to live and work with for many years. She is now, of course, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and is undertaking the most extensive consultation of Indigenous First Nations women in Australia for the last 30 years. I'm very excited about what her consultations will deliver for us in parliament and indeed for the entire nation.

The other two women are contemporaries and colleagues of mine, but I want to put on the record my profound thanks to both the Hon. Linda Burney, who sits with us in the House of Representatives, and is the first Indigenous woman to do so, and Senator Malarndirri McCarthy. The generous spirit of both these women, their profound experience, their depth of knowledge and the expertise that they bring to our parliament cannot be overstated. The difference that these women make in the Australian parliament, day in and day out, is a great thing for our nation. I'm so fortunate in the Australian Labor Party. I get to work with both those women very closely, but they have a profound influence on the nation as a whole. It's great to pay tribute to them both.

Back home, I want to give a shout-out to women like Aunty Sandra Griffin, Aunty Colleen Perry and Aunty June Rose, as well as Maree Edwards and Lillian Eastwood, who drive so much work in local government. These are all women who have led our communities as strong role models, as women have done from time immemorial.