Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the evening of Thursday, 3 November I was welcomed to a performance by a local choir called Singing Out Strong, or SOS. The SOS choir was originally formed for women who are victims of abuse or are recovering from addiction. It has since opened up and now welcomes any woman in the area, providing a supportive, safe place for local women to heal and grow after significant trauma. The choir sang a few original tracks as well as a couple of songs that were given new lyrics. The women shared their stories bravely. They spoke of their life's horrors, their lightbulb moments, their victories and their journeys of finding themselves. Each story, as inspiring as it was, was also horrific.

This group meets under the auspices of West Connect Domestic Violence Services. West Connect were also responsible for hosting the annual Reclaim the Night event in Penrith on Friday, 4 November. The women in the SOS choir and those who support them should be exceptionally proud of their achievements, as each of them has overcome significant challenges. I applaud them on their courage to share their stories, their voices and their commitment to rebuilding their lives. In a community like mine, which records some of the highest rates of domestic violence in New South Wales, this is a very important cause. I look forward to having them perform at my International Women's Day event in March next year.

In the brief time I have left, I would like to touch on World Teachers' Day, which is celebrated in Australia on the last Friday in October. It is a day to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our teachers and pay respects to the significant contribution they make to all communities. It is a day that should be marked with great fanfare and celebration, but, as is often the case on a busy school day, the needs of the students come first and many schools are not able to find the time to celebrate. On Friday 28 October, I visited four wonderful schools in my electorate, took a long morning tea with the teachers and we shared a morning together. They are all schools in our area that have additional challenges—some due to capacity, some due to disadvantage and some that cater to multiple support classes within the school. It was an opportunity to say a sincere thank you to all the teachers for the amazing work they do, particularly in our community building capacity, broadening horizons and creating leaders.

I was able to hear about the fabulous work and learning taking place each day in the classrooms across my electorate, and I was humbled by the warm welcome each of the teachers showed me. Teaching is too often a thankless profession. We should all be, in this place, doing what we can to ensure teachers are supported in their jobs and, critically, we should be ensuring each school has the resources they need to provide the quality education our children deserve. I will take this opportunity to call once again on the Turnbull government to fully fund Gonski in support of our hardworking teachers. Happy World Teachers' Day to all the amazing educators in my electorate of Lindsay, and a special thank you and shout out to Glenmore Park High School, Kingswood South Public School, Regentville Public School and Chifley College Dunheved Campus for having me along to celebrate this important day.