Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We frequently talk about community, but what does community actually mean? The boundaries of each of our electorates do not, in and of themselves, create a community. Unless the people within those boundaries have positive relationships with each other and unless they have a sense of belonging or a sense of social connectedness with the place and with others, the area that we live in is really no more than a postcode or an area defined by lines on a map.

My electorate of Curtin is described by the AEC as an inner metropolitan area defined by well-established suburbs. The geography and demography of Curtin and the circumstances of the people living in it are, like the majority of our federal electorates, actually quite diverse. I've spoken in this place before about the physical beauty of Curtin, but today I want to highlight what is really magnificent about Curtin, and that is the people. It is the people of Curtin who, through building connections with each other, through their participation in countless organisations and activities, make Curtin more than just a geographical area on a map. They make it more than just a pretty place to live and a comfortable place to live. It is the people who make it a community.

While I've always known this about Curtin, it was recently sheeted home to me through the responses we received to round 5 of the Morrison government's Stronger Communities Program. This program provides funding for small capital projects that improve local community participation and contribute to vibrant and viable communities. In Curtin, we had an overwhelming response to this particular funding source. We received a total of 34 applications for projects. These applications came from a wide selection of community groups and organisations, such as schools; a parents and friends group; communities and men's sheds; local sporting clubs; including tennis, soccer, cricket, T-ball, lawn bowls and golf; surf life saving clubs; the Sea Scout groups; the Salvos; a local recycling group; and our local councils. And the types of projects they were seeking funding for were also varied: shade structures at local sporting clubs, fit-out of a community shed, resurfacing sporting areas, sporting equipment and safety equipment, ICT infrastructure improvements, community gardens and nature playgrounds, fit-out of a community lounge, upgrades to toilet and bathroom amenities, lighting upgrades, security upgrades and accessibility improvements. The width and breadth of what was being sought and the community groups seeking it was extensive.

All of the community groups which applied for funding are fantastic organisations, promoting cohesion, community and wellbeing across all parts of the electorate. To everybody involved in those groups in Curtin, I say thank you very much from all of us.

See this speech in context