Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do not think there would be a member in this House that does not value the role played by Meals on Wheels in our community.Each and every one of us knows that they are a group of volunteers that go to the heart of our community and make the lives of some of the most frail and vulnerable people in our community liveable. They not only deliver nutritious meals but also provide the contact, friendship and happy smiles that are so important to people living on their own. Some of them are confined to their homes, and some of them do not see too many people. That smiling Meals on Wheels person that knocks on the door, brings them in a meal, maybe goes to the microwave and heats it up and helps them to prepare the meal or puts it in the fridge can be so important to those people. The people in involved with Meals on Wheels are very, very special and it is a very, very special organisation that goes to the heart of all of our communities.

Meals on Wheels started in Australia in 1952, nearly 60 years ago. It was first established in the UK after the Second World War, and it has grown here and in the UK. In the course of a year, Meals on Wheels organisations in Australia deliver in the vicinity of 15 million meals. They are delivered by nearly 80,000 volunteers to about 53,000 Australians. I am sure that that number has increased since the figures I have before me were written.

The nature of Meals on Wheels has changed. As society has changed, Meals on Wheels has been able to change with that. Previously the meals were all meat and three veg, but now Meals on Wheels takes into account the multicultural nature of our society and is able to deliver to people the kind of meals that make their lives very pleasant. It remains true to its origins and focuses on people of all ages, particularly old and frail people and people with disabilities.

One of the experiences that I have had as a member of parliament that I have enjoyed more than anything has been going out with Meals on Wheels groups and delivering to people in their homes. I have enjoyed also going in and helping cook the meals and being part of a team. It is a team, and everybody works together—from the person that does the rosters, who is quite often employed, to the person who delivers the meals. Meals on Wheels is about more than just providing meals. It is the heart of our community. It is more than just the meals, not only for the people that are given the meals but for the volunteers involved. They enjoy going and talking to the people they deliver the meals to just as much as the people who receive the meals enjoy talking to the volunteers.

I will talk a little bit about the Meals on Wheels groups in my electorate—forgive me for being a little parochial. I went to the Charlestown Meals on Wheels Christmas party last week, where there were about 120 people present. Certificates were given out for periods of service. The longest time a person had been serving was 38 years, and that was Ellen Kilpatrick, the wife of the previous Mayor of Lake Macquarie. She started delivering Meals on Wheels when her now 40-year-old son was two, and she is still doing it today. That shows a sense of community. There was Ern, who had his name tag in the middle of his head at the party. He is 94 years of age and goes out delivering Meals on Wheels to people who are younger than himself but frailer. Today, Charlestown deliver over 260 meals. They average 1,000 meals a week. They have been operating since 1969. Their first delivery was of nine meals. Charlestown is one of the last production kitchens working. Three of the Meals on Wheels organisations I am going to talk about are production kitchens, and they take great pride in the fact that they are production kitchens and they want to remain production kitchens. They have 170 volunteers preparing and delivering meals. Belmont Meals on Wheels averages 800 meals a week. From June 2010 to June 2011 they delivered 48,400 meals with 134 volunteers.

Central Coast Meals on Wheels operate differently. They deliver frozen food. They did not have the number of volunteers to be able to have a production kitchen. They provide a really good service to the people on the Central Coast, and they have adapted to meet the needs of their community. They delivered 11,000 meals during October. Central Coast is a lot bigger than the suburbs that I mentioned. They have 580 volunteers. They deliver from Mooney Mooney, which is in Robertson electorate, to Gwandalan, in Shortland electorate. They have also started a new program called Flexible Food, which brings socialisation to frail aged and younger disabled people on a food related theme. It could be something like shopping with them or having a meal or a coffee. That is bringing into play the contact that Meals on Wheels provides and providing an extra service.

Swansea Meals on Wheels average 67 meals per day and they deliver on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They delivered 739 meals in September. They have around 100 volunteers working for them, including cooking meals and delivering them to people. Swansea Meals on Wheels came to see me earlier this year because there has been a push to introduce a program called the Future Food Project. That is delivering food to people from a central kitchen. It means delivering frozen meals. It is something that Swansea, Charlestown and Belmont would prefer did not happen because they enjoy the preparation, because that is part of that whole teamwork, of everybody joining together and working together to deliver to their community. This is being driven by the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, ADHC, in New South Wales, and I really think that the department in New South Wales needs to look to the history and the purpose of Meals on Wheels. It is a community driven organisation. It is not an organisation that should be dictated to by any government. There need to be proper regulations in place to ensure that food safety standards are observed, in which the Meals on Wheels in Shortland electorate achieve the highest rating.

I conclude where I started, by thanking those thousands of volunteers for their wonderful work and enormous contribution, be it in cooking and delivering meals or in counselling and talking to the frail aged and disabled people within our communities.

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