Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today with both a challenge and an invitation for my city-based parliamentary colleagues. Do the young people in your electorates really know about Aussie farming? Do they know that Australian agriculture has over 85,000 farm businesses, 99 per cent of which are Australian owned or operated. Every single one of them produces enough food to feed 600 people.

Well, I have just the Aussie woman for you. Right here in Parliament House today is Aimee Snowden from the New South Wales Murray River community of Tocumwal. Aimee is the brains behind Little Brick Farmers, which celebrates Australian agriculture through unique photos of farmers imagined and created from Lego. She's sometimes called the Lego Lady.

I'm delighted to note she's officially an ABC Heywire trailblazer. Heywire's aim is to put young Australians at the centre of conversations which can shape their communities. Can I congratulate all the trailblazers here for the great tales they have to tell on so many important issues. Aimee's hope is that her pictorial stories, via a blog and a Facebook page, can be shared amongst every community, city and country, to ensure our kids know exactly where their milk and bread comes from. She can even come to you. By speaking at career expos and school events, Aimee is providing our young people with stories, information and resources to encourage them to pursue careers in agriculture. Yes, it's about jobs and growth, but it's also about the city and the country pulling together to be the best we can possibly be.

See this speech in context