Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take the opportunity to inform the House of a local initiative which fosters talented young people. This is the Bankstown Talent Advancement Program, or TAP, as it is known locally. The unique partnership was developed five years ago between the Bankstown City Council and the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. The focus of this partnership was to identify and support talented young people in the local area.

The program is designed for local students who either attend school in the Bankstown-East Hills school districts or reside in the Bankstown local government area. Only students up to year 12 are eligible. This year will see the graduating class as the first to have been with the program from the start of their high school years. I went to a presentation concert at the Revesby Workers Club on Thursday, 6 September 2007, for the 2007 advancement program. It was a sensational concert and all are to be congratulated.

The objectives of the program are to identify and develop local talent, to provide encouragement and support through experienced coaches and mentors, to showcase our talent, to develop confidence in our young performers and to provide opportunities for acceptance into other development programs associated with the performing arts. TAP has received encouragement and support from many in the entertainment industry, including its patron, Kevin Jacobsen OAM. Many industry professionals give their time and expertise to support the program and provide their students with coaching and mentoring through regular workshops.

Some of those who have donated their time and expertise include Human Nature, Paulini, Sophie Monk, Glen Nutley, Shaun Rennie, Leigh McRae, Pat Dance-Wilson, Amanda Ballan-Hanna, Mathew Waters, Triple Treat Promotions, Sharon Dermody, Toni Pearon, Bryan Brown and Nathan Foley. Many of these professionals are themselves from Bankstown: Col Joye, Vince Sorrenti, Casey Donovan, Paulini and, of course, some members of Human Nature. Andrew Tierney of Human Nature has said:

Having a community to support talented kids with opportunities to perform and grow in confidence is something that I believe really helped us. This kind of program in Bankstown is fantastic and I hope will ensure good things keep coming from my home district.

Andrew’s mother, Wendy, is the Musical Director for TAP. Wendy, along with a number of other dedicated professionals, including Kerry Sebio, the project coordinator, and Ian Bertram, the sound technician, are all committed to nurturing talent in the Bankstown community.

TAP ensures the performers are given the opportunity to perform in order to gain confidence and knowledge of the industry. To date, invitations to TAP participants have included the Sounds of Symphony in Colorado Springs, NRL and ARU half-time entertainment at Telstra Stadium, Australia Day celebrations, many local opportunities within New South Wales, as well as a Disneyland, Anaheim, performance in 2006. Most recently, TAP participants took a trip to perform in Broken Hill, a sister city to Bankstown.

I congratulate Bankstown council and the mayors past and present who have continued to support this brilliant initiative. I mentioned the mentors and supporters, among whom is Kevin Jacobsen OAM. He was there on Thursday night and you could just tell that he was bristling with enthusiasm at the young talent that the community was producing. He has seen the very best of the best in the entertainment industry around the world.

The Revesby Workers Club, of which I am proudly vice-president, has shown support by providing our auditorium gratis to the TAP organisation so that the children can basically have a first-class place in which to entertain. Indeed, we have had there one of the local newspapers, the Canterbury-Bankstown Express. This is the sort of thing that enthuses our local communities, where professionals take time out to mentor young people coming through. It is not a paid thing that they do, but it is probably one of the most enjoyable things that they do. I had the same experience recently when we had Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward at the Revesby Workers Club for some short film initiatives. Bryan Brown has mentored a number of people in relation to that program. I commend the TAP program and those associated with it.