Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate two local women who were named in the Australia Day 2018 Honours List, and I celebrate that, in a year when 32 per cent of the Australia Day honours went to women, two local women from the electorate of Lalor were a part of that. I also congratulate Professor Michelle Simmons on being named Australian of the Year.

One of our locals was Carmel Tom. She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to naval veterans. She's from Werribee. Carmel joined the Royal Australian Navy at 17 years of age. She served in the Navy for three years. From there, Carmel went on to serve as a media liaison officer for the International Force East Timor. This role saw Carmel supervising media accreditation, transport and administration. During this time she also visited East Timor. It was here that she was able to see firsthand the crisis that affected East Timor.

The other is Susanna Mary Dean. She was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal, and she lives in Point Cook. Over the past 16 years, Susanna has demonstrated distinguished service and ability as a paramedic at Ambulance Victoria. She has outstanding expertise and has been highly valued by Ambulance Victoria. Her contribution to the organisation has been significant. She was instrumental in the management of state disasters such as the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 and the Hazelwood mine fires in 2014. Susanna was also a significant contributor in providing management and leadership support to Ambulance Victoria's first Indigenous paramedic cadet.

Both Carmel and Susanna are locals who have made important contributions to our society.