The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (14:10): Today we recognise the International Day of Rural Women—a day to honour the women who sustain our communities, often without recognition. Across the world, rural women grow, harvest and prepare the food that feeds us all, yet many still face food insecurity, limited health care and the burden of unpaid care. The United Nations reminds us that while they ensure that others are nourished, they often go without. In Australia, the strength of rural women is embodied in one remarkable force: the Country Women's Association [CWA]. Formed in 1922, when women faced isolation and few services, the CWA became a lifeline. It built baby health centres, supported bush nurses and established maternity wards, schools and rest homes. Those women were not just helpers; they were founders, fighters and community builders.

Today the CWA remains the largest women's organisation in Australia. I say plainly that when the CWA speaks, governments should listen. Its advocacy is not nostalgic; it is urgent. Through the Annual Women's Survey, they are collecting the real concerns of women across New South Wales. The message is clear. Cost‑of‑living pressures are crippling households. There are healthcare deserts across regional New South Wales where finding a GP is harder than getting to a specialist in Sydney. There is job insecurity, especially for younger women and carers trying to re-enter the workforce. Housing shortages, education gaps and unreliable telecommunications are all barriers to opportunity.

Those are not statistics; it is the lived reality of the women who hold their towns together. They are running small businesses, caring for families, volunteering at shows, fighting fires and still turning up to feed a neighbour in need. Rural women do not ask for praise, but they deserve respect. They do not seek privilege, but they demand fairness. On this International Day of Rural Women, I honour every woman who has stood at a farm gate in drought; has held a family together while waiting nine hours in an emergency ward; has driven 400 kilometres for medical care; and, despite it all, has turned up at a CWA branch meeting to make things better for someone else. I honour them today, not with sentiment, but with respect and resolve.