Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In our role as MPs we're very fortunate to meet so many inspirational people. Today I'm going to speak about one of them from my electorate, a truly amazing and inspirational woman. Her name is Rebecca Hogan, known as Bec. I first met Bec in 2018. She came to see me about a program she was initiating for young men and women in years 11 and 12 who were living in both the Tweed and Byron shires. The idea grew into the BASE Youth Leadership organisation and the associated BASE awards. Bec's drive and enthusiasm is very contagious, and I knew straightaway that she would make this project happen. I was really excited to be a part of the program and a sponsor for it.

At the time, Bec also approached many individuals, community organisations and small businesses, and many were very quick to sponsor and support this great initiative. At the time, there was a lot of momentum building around this idea. Bec is a former teacher and she created the not-for-profit BASE Youth Leadership program after recognising a lack of opportunity and training for our emerging leaders on the New South Wales North Coast. BASE is a program that Bec developed to foster leadership skills in young people who are just about to finish high school. After many years as an educator, Bec said that she was driven to action by the challenges she saw young people facing in our hyper-connected world. To quote Bec:

I think people need to be connected to other people, not only to promote themselves in a business sense, but also in a meaningful way. I want to encourage young people to be socially conscious leaders.

BASE does this by encouraging and empowering young women and young men to become leaders who can make a real and meaningful contribution to our society.

Bec has built this organisation from the ground up. Her efforts are now allowing young people to be recognised, guided and mentored to strive for excellence in their local communities. Bec's commitment brought it all together in establishing the inaugural BASE Youth Leadership Awards. Bec organised 10 judging panels comprising local business representatives and sporting, civic and professional leaders within the community. She also organised two separate events for the awards, one for the women's finalists and one for the men's finalists. She also had a whole range of inspirational speakers at both of these events. The inaugural awards for young women were held on International Women's Day, 8 March 2019, and was a huge success. I was very pleased to attend and open the event. There were so many wonderful young women recognised that day. It's a real testament to Bec's efforts that so many young women have benefited from her mentorship and direction. The event was hosted by the amazing Mandy Nolan. She is a local icon who is an incredible comedian and presenter and a truly inspirational woman. It's great to see that Mandy is hosting this year's awards, too.

The BASE program is centred on an awards program and leadership training. Program participants are also invited to attend BASEcamp, where they learn about everything from creating good first impressions to designing a digital profile and applying to university. They learn a series of social, business and life skills. Bec Hogan has realised her vision of a program that supports and recognises our local young leaders and the contribution they make to our community.

Earlier this year, Bec's contribution to our community was recognised. She received the Tweed Shire Council Citizen of the Year award. It was very well-deserved. Bec's award was specifically in recognition of her outstanding contribution to our community and to the young people of the region by creating BASE. The ongoing role and goal of BASE is to identify and celebrate year 11 and year 12 students in their respective areas of excellence and to support them in their future endeavours. It also includes scholarships from Southern Cross University. I encourage young people in our region to get involved in some of these future rounds. It's a great experience.

Bec has built a movement which empowers young future leaders to be recognised and mentored, to achieve great things and to reach their potential. By investing in and connecting young leaders with networks, organisations and resources that can bolster their efforts to enact positive change, we're all supporting a much brighter future for everyone. Following on from the success of the 2019 awards, I'm very much looking forward to attending and opening the 2020 BASE awards. The 2020 awards recognise achievements in the following categories: community service and citizenship award; youth spirit award; sports award; creative arts and performing arts award; and academic and leadership award.

Congratulations to all those who have participated in BASE and all those young people who have applied. I'd like to encourage young people in my community to apply and get involved with the BASE awards so we can all support them in their future endeavours. Congratulations to Bec and everyone who has applied for those BASE awards. To all those winners, keep up the great work.

See this speech in context