Wednesday, 19 March 2025

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (09:50): International Women’s Day is a reminder to all of us to celebrate and show solidarity with the amazing women in our lives and to acknowledge the continued fight towards equality and women’s liberation across the globe. I am going to take this opportunity to give a big shout-out to four incredible women in my community that I had the opportunity to celebrate International Women’s Day with – Jennifer Bowden, the CEO of the Mathematical Association of Victoria, who represents and supports mathematics teachers and educators in primary schools, secondary schools, early learning and at home; Alejandra Angeles, the founder and CEO of Gals en Australia, a thriving community of 14,000 people that empowers Latin and Hispanic women in Australia to overcome the challenges that migrant women often face in their careers; Keryn Negri, the CEO of Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, which provides an incredible space founded through Victoria’s strong and proud feminist history that allows for Victorian women and gender-diverse people to thrive; and Annette McShane, the treasurer of Brunswick Lacrosse, which is leading an inclusive environment for girls and women to thrive in the sport that they love. She has almost got me thinking about taking up lacrosse, she is so passionate. The work these women do, like many women in our lives, is changing our community for the better, and it is essential that we continue to recognise this hard work throughout the year and not just on that one day in March.