Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the spirit of International Women's Day, I want to share with the House some of the extraordinary women from my electorate. Pearl Ogden OAM, a well-known passionate Territory researcher, historian and author, has written fourteen publications about the Territory's history. If Pearl is not giving oral histories around the electorate, you can find her giving guided historical tours of Darwin city and, indeed, Parliament House, which I am told she delivers with her usual quick wit and good humour.

Maisie Austin is a foundation member of the Women's Network NT, and she has been the president of this organisation since 2011. Maisie is a small business owner, a mother, a grandmother and another passionate advocate for the Territory, more particularly around women's issues.

I would also like to note Cheryl Wells, who works in the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre. She is one of the first people that you encounter when you visit the centre. Gerhard Reuter, a very good friend of mine, who is 81-years young, has asked me to acknowledge Cheryl. He said that the support and care that he received from Cheryl while visiting the centre over the last 18 months during his cancer treatment has been amazing. He said that her manner and concern was very comforting and reassuring during a very hard time in his life while, as I said, he was receiving cancer treatment.

Another incredible woman making her mark in the Territory is Rachel Hancock. She is the first-ever female editor of the NT News. She has built on all the good elements of the NT News and added her own style, which has certainly lifted the tone of the paper. In her own words, Rachel sums up the importance of the NT News to Territorians when she says, 'Nationally and globally, our reputation is funny, whacky page 1 headlines with crocs, but, you know, we actually do a lot of campaigning for the community and a lot of keeping the government and opposition in check.' This is very true. Without Rachel and her team, we would not have been so successful in getting the ACCC to come to Darwin to investigate fuel pricing, so I would like to publically thank Rachel and her team for the amazing support that we had in the campaign.

Rachel and her team have also put together this fantastic book called What a Croc! It is a collection of all the amazing front-page headlines from the NT News. I have a copy of this book in my office, and I also have a spare copy for the Prime Minister. Anyone who wants to have a look should please come and visit my office, but you can also purchase your own copy. (Time expired)