Alannah Mactiernan (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that I rise to congratulate Jackie Jarvis. Jackie is a Western Australian woman who last night was runner-up in the national finals of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Rural Women's Award—a fantastic set of awards that really showcase extraordinary women from all over Australia, women who are making an extraordinary contribution to the rural communities from which they come.

I have known Jackie for many years. Jackie, with her husband, runs a very successful boutique winery in Margaret River, and they have opened up export markets in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. They are very, very successful winemakers and vintners. But in fact Jackie's award last night was not for that part of her life; it was focusing on her role in recognising that there were lots of farmers out there really struggling for labour and in many cases having to rely on the contribution of urban-origin backpackers. She recognised that there were many refugees coming into this country who were from agricultural backgrounds and that there must be some way of matching up those refugees with the demands or requirements of rural property owners. She has very successfully done that. In her pilot project, she was able to place refugees from Burundi on dairy farms in the south-west of Western Australia. She has placed refugees up in the plantations in Carnarvon and also has placed refugees in the wheat belt properties. It is a very, very successful program, and we are all very proud of Jackie.

I also want to congratulate Pip Job from New South Wales, who was the successful winner overall. Pip is a most impressive woman. Her concern about business illiteracy in the farm sector was, I thought, a most interesting contribution. She is setting about ensuring that people who are operating within that rural sector are properly supported and given the business skills that they need to make their operation successful.

Congratulations to all who have been involved in these awards. It was a fantastic evening and very well appreciated by all who attended.