This evening, on the eve of her retirement, I recognise and celebrate the contributions of Tracy Phillips to the provision of domestic and family violence support services in south‑west Sydney. Liverpool and Fairfield are grateful for her work. For the past 7½ years she has been the executive officer of Bonnie Support Services, a specialist homelessness service that supports women and children who are experiencing domestic violence and/or homelessness. Prior to that, Tracy spent over 30 years working in the community and not-for-profit sectors, as well as in government departments, including Social Security, Family and Community Services, and Health. Her work in the community sector has primarily been in child protection, mental health and domestic violence.

I first met Tracy at the launch ofHome Free, a remarkable collection of stories retelling the journeys of real women to safety from domestic violence. Stories resonate across age, culture and circumstance in a publication that used both words and images to show that domestic violence does not affect just one type of person. It was effectively about each person finding their freedom and sharing their strength and resilience to give hope to others and to make a difference in our broader community. Tracy, a fierce feminist and advocate for the work of her wonderful team, made a huge impression on me that day. Her passion for the women of south-west Sydney and her commitment to creating a world without violence against women was inspiring. I still keep my copy ofHome Free with me today, over six years later.

Bonnie's is an all-female not-for-profit support service supporting women and children to lead the best lives they can. Established in 1974, it is committed to bringing almost 50 years of experience, understanding and best practice to make a real impact. As the debate rages about effective resourcing for domestic violence services within our broader community, I highlight Tracy's stewardship of Bonnie's. She ensured that it kept the doors open for women and children across south-west Sydney in the wake of the Staying Home Leaving Violence reforms of the previous Government. It was one of only a handful of women's refuges that was left open in the wake of those reforms. That meant the women whose stories were featured inHome Free were protected and supported by Tracy and her team.

At her retirement party just a couple of weeks ago, staff members shared stories of Tracy at Bonnie's and her work with many clients and many women across our broader community. Tracy made an incredibly important impact in holding a candlelight vigil in Macquarie mall every December to highlight the loss of women due to domestic and family violence every year—to remember their names, where possible, and to make sure that those uncomfortable experiences were front and centre of our community's attention. Tracy has, without doubt, made a huge impact on the consciousness of the broader Liverpool community. She has made a huge impact on the lives of many women and children across many years, and she will be greatly missed by her team at Bonnie's. She will also be greatly missed by people like me, who will miss her experience and her knowledge as a source of wisdom as we navigate what needs to be done to ensure that the community provides better support for women who are experiencing domestic and family violence and strives to realise the vision of a world without violence against women.