Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very glad to speak on this motion put forward by the member for Gippsland. I know he's had a bit of a tough time in his area lately. I know that in my electorate of Moreton, community groups look forward to the annual announcement of the expressions of interest for Stronger Communities grants. The capped amount of $150,000 to fund up to 20 local projects just isn't enough. It's always oversubscribed; we've got lots of wonderful community groups. Funding for those small infrastructure builds for community groups is much loved and much appreciated.

The funds in Moreton in the past have gone towards: installing kitchens in local clubs to help groups with their fundraising efforts; buying mobile coffee machines to skill-up volunteers in barista skills, leading to more employment opportunities in hospitality; helping sporting clubs refurbish change rooms; and allowing local kindies to build beautiful outdoor playgrounds. Each member of parliament knows that the program is an annual fixture for our local groups—it's grassroots activism rewarded throughout the nation. I think the member for Gippsland is a good bloke, and I'm happy to put that on the record—others might speak against that, depending on where the National Party's merry-go-round is placed at the moment! When he had fire and floods within 24 hours, his electorate has had it tough. But I fail to see why the member for Gippsland has brought this motion, because he has clearly forgotten what his party did when he was in government. He's here today claiming that the future years of the Stronger Communities Programme haven't been funded, when his own government failed to fund the round they announced in March 2022. This is a program that has traditionally been funded—

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