To reinforce the fact that we belong to a global organisation, our Club has instigated the idea of toasting a Zonta Club - chosen at random somewhere in the world. The Zonta Club of Saint Sofia in Bulgaria was the subject of our toast on 1 July.

In support of this, mention was made of their wonderful initiative in launching a social platform to assist women and girls during the pandemic. Mention was also made of the Opera House celebration commemorating the 5th Anniversary of your twinning with the Zonta Club of Alba Langhe Roero, Italy.

Today we welcomed Hon. Minister Simone McGurk MLA to Head Office to present a certificate from Lotterywest for funding of $195,125

This vital grant is part of the Lotterywest response to COVID-19 for frontline services. It will provide emergency relief support for women across our seven services.

In addition, will support Zonta House with a new, six-month pilot program working with women in their own homes or those who are not able to access refuge, within the South East corridor. This pilot will be working in partnership with local services.

Thank you to the WA community in supporting Lotterywest to provide grants that make a difference to women and families who experience family and domestic violence.

Our family violence reform Bill has passed State Parliament.

This is the most comprehensive family violence law reform package ever introduced in Western Australia.

These transformational changes will put WA at the forefront of the fight against family and domestic violence.

As we work to reduce violence in the community, it is so important that our laws respond to our increased understanding of how family and domestic violence impacts victims.

For example, we cannot ignore the growing awareness of how non-fatal strangulation is a strong predictor of escalating and potentially fatal violence in family violence circumstances.

Research tells us that a female victim of strangulation is seven times more likely to be the victim of homicide, compared to other family violence victims.

That is why we are creating a new specific criminal offence for suffocation and strangulation.

The legislation also includes a new specific offence for persistent family violence, in recognition of the reality of family violence for many victims, where the perpetrator commits persistent and ongoing acts of violence against them.

We are also enabling courts to declare a person a serial family violence offender.

This will make it easier for the courts and police to identify such an offender and mitigate against the risk of reoffending.

Other changes include new aggravated penalties for offences that commonly occur in family violence circumstances, making it easier for evidence of family violence to be introduced in criminal trials and requiring police to record every family violence incident.

Thanks to Attorney General John Quigley for progressing these laws. The McGowan Government is committed to reducing the unacceptably high rates of family and domestic violence in the community.

I truly believe that these changes will save lives.