Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to recognise the good work of the Foothills Information and Referral Services, or FIRS, in Forrestfield. In August I met with the director, Anne Whitby, and the office manager, Sue Bateman, at their offices, with the state member for Forrestfield, Stephen Price MLA. I got to hear about the critical role that they've been playing in the foothills community. I was immediately struck by the determination of Anne and Sue to get stuff done. If you want something done, give it to a busy woman!

Since 1998 FIRS has been providing accessible, non-judgemental, non-discriminatory services to individuals and families in my electorate and the member for Hasluck's electorate. Not content with a one-size-fits-all approach, FIRS understands the importance of providing wraparound services to people and families. These include financial counselling, community services, a family law clinic, training and development workshops, playgroups for general kids and autistic children, an ADF-partnered parenting program, emergency food relief, bill payment support and referrals to other organisations. This support can be ongoing. For example, people from my community may come in for emergency food relief initially and then find access to financial counselling and services such as the family law clinic or training and workshops. It's this kind of innovation and dedication that means that long-term success for those people in need of help can happen.

As a mother of two children, I know that community playgroups provide a really important place in our community. Me and my children regularly meet with other families, make friends and, importantly, play. But, for some children and their families, this can be quite challenging. Children with autism spectrum disorder have a diverse way of engaging and participating in social settings, but adjustments can be made, and this is exactly what happens at the playgroup run by FIRS. They welcome families with preschool-age kids with autism and their siblings and they build community networks amongst parents and caregivers and, most importantly, the children.

A child's earliest years are its most important developmentally. We introduced the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Cheaper Child Care) Bill 2022 yesterday, as part of our government's commitment to increasing the accessibility of early childhood education. We can talk about the economic benefits of this—and there are many—but I think of how enriching that socialisation and exposure that kids have in playgroups and in child care is. It's so fantastic to have FIRS in our community. It's there providing support across a person's life cycle, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity this morning to recognise some of its great work.

See this speech in context