Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to inform the House of some important announcements and events that took place in my electorate of Dobell last week. Last Wednesday the Hon. Malcom Turnbull, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, visited the Central Coast to announce $6.61 million in federal funding to part-finance the Hunter and Gosford-Wyong regional water sharing project. I would also like to acknowledge the work done by the member for Eden-Monaro before Malcolm Turnbull had the job of securing this funding.

The funding is being administered through the $1.6 billion Water Smart Australia component of the Australian government Water Fund and will be used to construct a pipeline between the Hunter and the Central Coast that is capable of transferring 20 megalitres of water per day—and that could peak to 35 million. I have been working with our local councils since 2004 to secure this funding, and it is great to see it come to fruition. I understand that the project represents one of the best examples of improvements in water management presented to the National Water Commission for its assessment, and credit is due to the Wyong and Gosford councils for their submission. The announcement is also fantastic for local residents, who have done a great job in conserving our scarce water resources to date. The Australian government is committed to taking advantage of opportunities to make better use of existing water supplies, and I commend the National Water Initiative.

Last Saturday night I attended an event to commemorate the Tuggerah Lakes District Band’s 60 years of service. It was an excellent night which was well attended by past and present members. The Tuggerah Lakes District Band is an icon on the Central Coast. It is both a band and a valuable community service and very much part of the Central Coast identity. The band has gone from strength to strength since it was established at the Entrance in 1964 by Mr Dick Wells. In its second year of operation, it led the Anzac march and continues to do so to this day. Over the years it has performed and continues to perform at major local events, including the annual mardi gras, Christmas Eve celebrations and various sporting events. It also does lots of work for charity.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge Mr Don Stewart, the musical director of the band and one of the original band members. He is one of the longest serving musical directors of a New South Wales brass band. I would also like to acknowledge Bruce Wheeler, another original. They have both played in the band for 60 years—and they do not even look 60. The current president, Mal Stewart, has been with the band for 57 years. They have dedicated services to various community groups over the years. Such service to an organisation is rare, and the Tuggerah Lakes District Band is no doubt a success because of the enthusiasm, commitment and dedication of members like the Stewarts and Mr Wheeler.

On Sunday I was delighted to officially launch the funeral fund, an important initiative of the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council, alongside respected Darkinjung elder Aunty Betty Hammond.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A wonderful woman.

Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She is. The funeral fund gives Aboriginal people on the Central Coast access to a low-cost, immediate-cover funeral fund and provides for culturally sensitive funerals. The Darkinjung funeral fund is the first in Australia to be run by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people and is set aside from other funeral funds in that it provides benefits to families for funeral expenses from the time of their first weekly payment—that is a very low $3.50, well below the market rate.

The fund contribution by members is subsidised heavily by the Darkinjung funeral fund. Children of members can join for an even lower weekly contribution of just 50c. Each family will be covered for the member’s funeral expenses up to $6,850, and that includes a no-questions-asked bereavement payment of $850. This fund means that members’ families no longer need to struggle or do without adequate funeral arrangements for loved ones.

This is not the only service to be provided through an initiative by Darkinjung; they also have a cattle company which last year exported over $1 million worth of beef to Japan, returning almost 20 per cent to the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council investment in its first year of operation. The return on this investment will help sustain the Darkinjung membership for years to come. I commend all of these organisations for their contributions to the Central Coast.