Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

I'm really pleased to talk on this MPI and to support the budget measures across all portfolios like the Minister for Defence Industry, who is at the table. Like her, I want to talk up the fabulous women, particularly those in rural and regional Australia. Whether it's through the economic statement or other budget measures, we know there are opportunities for women right around this great nation, and I want to encourage them all to take advantage of the opportunities they have, like so many of those in my electorate and elsewhere who have.

In talking up the great opportunities I'll talk about women like Erin and Tegan Studsor, who founded Traffic Force, a highly successful traffic management company servicing the whole of Western Australia, starting in Bunbury, in my part of the world. Along with Sharni Bennell, Tegan and Erin are also owners of the Kali Group an Indigenous and all-female owned business providing labour hire and recruitment services. They are great young women.

Another fantastic self-starter and determined and motivated woman is Larissa Versace, who started her own lawn-mowing and garden maintenance business in my home town of Harvey as a very young woman. She's a talented soccer and AFL Harvey Bulls player. Her business has gone through to Fremantle because she's playing Australian Rules football in the women's league for East Fremantle. What a great and fantastic young woman. I'm really proud to see our young women like Jo Gunning with her outstanding business, ShoeBeDoo; Renee Evans, who keeps evolving her store, Emporium of Eshe, in line with her customer's needs; and Vanya Cullen, who has grown her family's wine brand to a national and international level of acclaim.

I want to talk briefly about the fantastic Walk Talk Taste Margaret River. That's what Kellie Tannock has done in Margaret River. Of course, it's been somewhat affected by COVID, but it has won a small business award. Kellie describes herself as the chief walker and talker, taking people around Margaret River and tasting the wonderful locally grown produce. What a wonderful initiative from this woman. Cathie Rice started her business Cathie Rice Travel in Bunbury 50 years ago with nothing. She is a quality and trusted provider of travel services in all aspects of travel and escorted tours. What a fantastic effort Cathie has made. There's one fabulous woman after another, such as Lynnette Brazen. I could go on and on talking about the wonderful work of women in rural and regional Australia and how they're contributing to the economic diversity and economic opportunities that exist in what is rural and regional Australia.

So I really wanted to talk to the young women who are watching today, the fabulous next generation of young women. Whether they're looking at the budget or not, wherever they are right now, I want to say to them: you are in a fabulous place called Australia, and, whether it's in education, in manufacturing, in agriculture—across so many portfolio areas—or just in the ambitions that you have for yourselves, one great thing is that we are not limited by our postcode in this country in what we can achieve. The minister for defence materiel represents an enormous electorate—I think, one of the biggest in the world—and she knows that young women in her part of the world also have great opportunities, like all women in rural and regional Australia—those very innovative, capable women that we see in our awards, the rural women's awards, who are doing extraordinary things, no matter where they're located in this country.

We've seen, through COVID, so many of them take the initiative to do business differently, and, for them, business as usual is now uncertainty. Uncertainty is business as usual. But they are stepping up to the mark and getting the job done. I am just so proud of all of the women around Australia who not only have done everything they can to keep themselves and their families safe but also have worked in their community and with their community.

That's what we're seeing from women in rural and regional Australia at the moment, and I'm so proud of what they do. They are taking and making opportunities, and that's what happens when you're supported by the government; it enables you to do exactly that, as our government has in an ongoing way and through this budget. I just want to say to young women: take the opportunities you get, or make them yourself, and get on with being the best you can be and do the best you can in this country.

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