House debates

Tuesday, 13 February 2024

Statements by Members

Durack Electorate: Women

1:41 pm

Photo of Melissa PriceMelissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

As International Women's Day approaches, I'm delighted to be shining a light on the remarkable accomplishments of the Durack female leaders that I've had the pleasure of working with and collaborating with as the federal member for Durack. In the next few weeks on my social media, I'll be sharing captivating narratives, valuable insights and also the unique challenges faced by over a dozen extraordinary women who are residing in our remote, regional and rural communities. Today I just want to highlight two of these fabulous women in Durack.

The first one is Ms Karen Chappel AM. She's the president of the Shire of Morawa and of the Western Australian Local Government Association. When we asked Karen what words of inspiration she could share with women in regional, rural and remote Western Australia, she said:

Always be proud of being a girl from the country, we are known to be resilient and practical. Do not let the tyranny of distance become a barrier to participation in whatever passion or cause you believe in.

The other wonderful woman that I want to highlight is Lara Sadowski. She is a great friend of mine, and so is Karen. She is a gun real estate agent from Geraldton. When we asked her who her role models were that inspired her, she said: 'My mother, who passed away at a young age from illness. She was selfless and gave everything to her family. Coming from an Eastern European background, you were taught to work hard for what you wanted and to give to others before you gave to yourself. Eastern Europeans are a gritty, intense and supernaturally sturdy people. Communism, wars and winters— (Time expired)