Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 Chris COUZENS (Geelong) (09:51): Recently, the member for Bellarine, the member for Lara and I held a women’s pain forum in Geelong to encourage women and girls to submit to the Victorian women’s pain inquiry. The Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health, the member for Northcote, addressed over 120 women in Geelong, providing details about the inquiry and how to make a submission. A panel of local women each shared their experiences with pain. I do want to thank Julie Spec, Brigitte Stone, Kat Stanley, Marsha Uppill, Luba Pryslak and Kylie Clarke for their contributions to the forum. The forum was a really deep talking and listening event for women in Geelong, who very much appreciated it. In fact it was sold out, and we had a waiting list on that. I think that is an indication of how important this inquiry is to women in my community and, I am sure, in communities right across this state.