Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

CHELL () (): We'll make it a trifecta as I too congratulate Deputy Speaker Payne on her elevation—much deserved—to the speaker's panel. I thank the member for Page for moving this motion, and I join him in celebrating the 1,000 or so Australia Day 2023 awards recipients, including 736 awards in the general division of the Order of Australia for meritorious, distinguished and conspicuous service. In particular, I acknowledge Order of Australia recipients for 2023 from my own electorate of Lyons.

I offer my sincere congratulations to the very Hon. Margaret Reynolds AC. Margaret was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the people and parliament of Australia, to social justice, gender equality and Indigenous rights, to local government, and to the community. I know Margaret well; she lives in Richmond in my electorate. Despite having been a senator for Queensland for some years, she has moved to the beautiful isle. This award is truly well-deserved.

Margaret served in the Senate for Queensland from 1983 to 1999. She was Local Government Minister from 1987 to 1990 and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women from 1988 until 1990. Margaret's achievements during her distinguished career as an activist, educator, and author are also too numerous to mention, but I will single one out. For six years she led the Friends of the ABC from her home just outside of Hobart in Tasmania and did a wonderful job representing that fantastic organisation and its importance to this nation. To this day, Margaret and her wonderful husband, Henry, are very active members of the local community in Richmond as well as nationally. Suffice to say, I am thrilled that Margaret Reynolds has been recognised for what continues to be a lifetime's work as an activist and advocate.

I also recognise Mr Roger Self OAM, awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community of the Tasman Peninsula. Roger is a stalwart of this wonderful community, serving on the Tasman Council for more than a decade, including as mayor from 2005 until 2007. He was and continues to be active in several community organisations, including the Rotary Club of Tasman Peninsula, the Tasman Lions Club, and the Eaglehawk Neck Action Community Taskforce. I can tell you that the Eaglehawk Neck Action Community Taskforce is a small but very active group doing really important work for that part of my electorate. Roger, I take this opportunity to thank you for your service to community and congratulate you on this well-deserved recognition.

I'd also like to take a moment to congratulate recipients of Australia Day awards awarded by local councils across Lyons last month. I've set it in this place before and I'll say it again: the people of Lyons are talented, hardworking and committed to their local communities. Once again, there are far too many achievements to mention them all, but I'll try to get through as many as I can—and I've got 12 councils in my electorate. Congratulations to Glamorgan Spring Bay Council Citizen of the Year Helen Gamble, Break O'Day Council Citizen of the Year Diane Harris, Central Highlands Council Citizen of the Year Ron Sonners, Derwent Valley Citizen of the year Justin Benson, Kentish Council Citizens of the Year Kentish Doug and Lesley Begg, Northern Midlands Council Citizen of the Year Maureen Shadbolt—I had the great pleasure of spending some of the day with Maureen—Southern Midlands Council Citizen of the Year Tony Collis, Meander Valley Council Citizen of the Year Iain Mackenzie, Sorrell Council Citizens of the Year Jessica Ffrost-Boyd and Craig Boyd, and Tasman Council Citizen of the Year Arnold McShane.

Brighton Council will announce its citizen of the year at a ceremony in February, having elected to have its awards later in the year, as is absolutely its right to do, and Clarence City Council, I understand, doesn't have such awards and is reconsidering whether to have such awards at all. Of course, this is a big thing in a free country like Australia. Councils are now free to make their own decisions about how to hold their citizenship awards. I think that's only opportune and right in a free country.

Congratulations to every nominee and award recipient. I congratulate everybody involved and thank them for their service to their community.

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