Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When local children's book author Cristy Burne saw me out doorknocking one day in Tangney, she gave me a copy of her latest novel, Into the Blue. I cannot think of a better book title; maybe that's because I was once a dolphin trainer. Set at Coogee Beach in Western Australia, Into the Blue is about a child who takes his older brother's camera without asking. When he loses it, he has a choice: does he confess, or does he stay silent?

Like me, Cristy is a big believer in public education, in the power of reading and in having access to books. Her books all feature some science, along with adventure and big questions about the world and about ourselves. Cristy, who is also a science communicator, says that children are scientifically proven to be the future. I wholeheartedly agree. In my own life, in the lives of my family and in the lives of the many students I have met across Tangney, I have seen how a single book can unlock creativity, innovation, empathy and care. This year's Book Week theme is 'reading is magic'. So are our writers, illustrators, teachers, librarians and, of course, our students.

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