Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (18:31): A few weeks ago we celebrated International Women's Day. The annual event held on 8 March reminds us of the need to continue to champion women's voices and women's rights. It is also a timely reminder of the valuable contributions that women make each and every day to our local communities. I also had the honour of announcing the 2025 Local Woman of the Year. I was delighted to bestow that honour on Cheryl Paradella of Macquarie Fields. I will share a little bit about Cheryl, who, despite her enormous contributions, would not want a fuss made about her.
Cheryl is a dedicated volunteer for local mental health charity Beautiful Minds Macarthur and has been its president since 2018. Cheryl is committed to improving the lives of those living with mental illness, and together we hosted a series of mental health forums. The forums enabled people in the local community to hear from speakers with lived experience, connect with local services and foster greater awareness of mental health. In addition to her volunteer work with Beautiful Minds, Cheryl is the community liaison officer at Glenfield Park School and works closely with families across the Hilltop group of schools for special purposes. Cheryl offers invaluable support to families with children of complex needs. She is also a community representative for the South Western Sydney Local Health District, assisting with inpatient and community carer peer support. In that role, Cheryl advocates for carers' rights and acts as a contact between consumers and clinicians in the mental health space.
Cheryl is a passionate advocate for carers. As a mother of three children—a daughter who is undiagnosed, a son diagnosed with autism and Tourette's, and a daughter diagnosed with autism and severe mental illness— Cheryl knows all too well the often difficult and lonely road that many carers travel. As Cheryl can attest, support is invaluable. A qualified foster carer and counsellor, Cheryl has worked in the education sector, both early childhood education and adult education, for over 30 years. Cheryl has contributed enormously to our community, and I commend her advocacy and passion for helping others.
Cheryl is of course joined by many other wonderful women who are all making a difference to our local community. One such woman is Mal Fruean, OAM, a strong advocate for Pasifika communities. I congratulate my dear friend and dedicated community advocate on her recent appointment to the Australian Multicultural Council. Mal is one of only 14 Australians selected to provide insights and advice to the Commonwealth Government. That is a fantastic achievement and I am confident that she will fulfil that role to the highest order. Mal received an Order of the Medal of Australia in 2021 in recognition of her contributions to the New South Wales Pasifika community.
An inspirational and respected leader, Mal champions multiculturalism and community harmony across the education, community and government sectors. Mal has dedicated more than 30 years to community work in south-west Sydney, including 12 years as manager of South West Multicultural and Community Centre in Minto. In that role, Mal oversees programs for women, youth and emerging Pacific leaders. A multi-award recipient and a member of various committees, Mal is committed to community engagement to increase cultural awareness. Mal is also chair of the NSW Council for Pacific Communities, a peak body for collaborative work with government and Pacific communities across New South Wales. My community, and indeed New South Wales and now Australia, is extremely fortunate to have such a strong and passionate advocate for Pasifika communities and for cultural diversity.
I mention one other woman in my electorate, who this year was awarded an honorary Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2025 Australia Day honours. Annamaria Wood of Ingleburn was recognised for her long-term commitment to the local disability sector. Annamaria was chief executive officer of Disability Macarthur in Minto from 1996 to 2022, where she oversaw support services for disabled adults and children in the local community. A staunch advocate for people with disability, Annamaria's hard work helped establish Disability Macarthur as a wonderful community asset. Always family focused, Annamaria recognised the importance of lifelong disability support for the whole family. Our community is certainly indebted to Annamaria's dedication and care. Finally, I acknowledge all the women in my community, and in all communities across New South Wales, who are helping to make a positive difference, big or small. Our community is all the better for those wonderful women in our local areas.
