Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to commence by commending the fantastic organisation in Tasmania known as Dress for Success. It's a wonderful organisation that helps women get back into the workforce by providing them with essential clothes so that they are ready for job interviews. They help them with their CVs. They help them with their job interviews. Then, when they are successful at getting that job, they allow them one whole week's worth of clothing to help set them on the path of success. This is a fantastic organisation that is independent. The other program that they run, which is very important for women leaving prison, is a welcome back program where they provide women with a backpack of essential toiletries and things that they need when they are leaving prison. It is a fantastic initiative.

I wanted to do a big shout-out to that organisation because they are helping long-term unemployed women back into the workforce. That is good for those women, it's good for their families and it is good for our economy. They are also engaging with other volunteers, bringing them in to help this organisation to give women the confidence and skills that they need and, at the same time, providing a very good service to the community, one that most governments wouldn't be able to fulfil. I want to give a big shout-out to Amanda French, as the team leader there, and to all her volunteers that give their time for such an important sphere of our economy, where we need to assist women getting back into the workforce. I know my Tasmanian colleagues in the chamber at the moment would agree that this is a fantastic organisation that reaches out to the north, the north-west, the west coast and the east coast of the state. They also now have an outreach program which they operate out of Launceston. Congratulations to them. (Time expired)