I congratulate LEAD Professional Development Association on the success of its first ever multicultural edition of Cupcakes and Code. 

The team at LEAD, led by Sharmily Nagasekar, partnered with Kate Kirwin, the 2024 Western Australian Young Australian of the Year, and her organisation She Codes Australia, and Amar Singh, the 2023 Local Hero of Australia and president and founder of Turbans 4 Australia.

The event was part of LEAD's iShine initiative, which empowers financially and socially disadvantaged women from diverse backgrounds, supporting them in entering or re-entering the workplace.

It was a fun filled, supportive, educational and liberating day for all those who participated. New friendships were formed, and more importantly, women were able to push their frontiers of knowledge in a safe and friendly environment.

It is heartwarming to see so many women come together for such an important purpose. I look forward to their continuing contributions to our community in transforming women's lives.