Penny Wong and Sally Sitou celebrate local women at Mother’s Day event in Rhodes

With Mother’s Day around the corner, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the Federal Member for Reid Sally Sitou hosted an event in Rhodes to celebrate women from all different backgrounds and experiences who make the community a wonderful place to live.

Held at Maestria restaurant, Senator Wong opened the event with remarks outlining the progress the Albanese Labor Government had made in advancing economic opportunities for women with expanded paid parental leave, compulsory family and domestic violence leave and cheaper childcare from July 1 this year. She spoke about the importance of having women in roles of leadership, both inside government and in the community.

The event continued with a Sally Sitou conducting a discussion panel of prominent local women who shared their experiences with motherhood, the importance of building community and how they became community leaders. The panel included:

• Justine Perkins – Founder of Touched by Olivia, best known for the network of Livvi’s Place inclusive play spaces and Livvi’s Cafe at Five Dock. This charity aims to improve the well-being of individuals and communities through inclusion and belonging.

• Anna Wang – One of Australia’s most renowned wedding planners, small business owner employing a team of 30 and the owner of Maestria, mother of two.

• Melanie Warman – Owner and run leader of Boobs on the Run, a community for women to exercise and go running and founder of the Concord Mums Unite! Facebook group. She is also the NSW Chair for the Mother’s Day Classic.

• Marie Piccin – Chair, Foundation for A Bloody Great Cause which raises for the world-leading blood cancer clinical trials at Concord Hospital. She is also a Committee Member for Majors Bay Chamber of Commerce.
• Abla Kadous – Founder and President of Islamic Women’s Welfare Association, Australia’s first welfare service for Muslim women, mother of five

Quotes attributable to Sally Sitou MP

“In my role, I get to meet the most extraordinary members of the community. In the lead up to Mother’s Day, I wanted to organise this event to highlight the female leaders in our community. I feel incredibly proud of the community I have the privilege to represent. This event showed our community in all its diversity, bringing people from all backgrounds.

It was a real honour to be able to be joined by Senator Wong, one of Australia’s most prominent female leaders, whose leadership internationally is a defining factor in forging Australia’s place in the world.”

ENDS