Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to speak tonight about a special event that happened in my electorate of Parkes last week and that was the opening of a skate park in the town of Coonamble. Coonamble is a reasonably isolated town of about 3,000 people in the western part of my electorate. It is quite a distance from any large major centres. What was special about the opening of this park was that it was instigated by the children of the town. I would particularly like to mention Aaron and Jarred Linton-Harland and Zac Thomas for their work in instigating this program and getting it going. They were rewarded for their foresight and hard work by being given the honour of cutting the ribbon.

A skate park might not seem much to many, but in Coonamble it is a big deal. There are not a lot of activities for young people. What made it special was the fact that it was something that the children sought and fought for themselves. What also made it special was that it was funded and supported by three levels of government and the local community. Regional Partnerships, which has been much maligned in this place, contributed $46,000. The New South Wales state government contributed quite a large amount. The local council contributed too, and the local students contributed quite a bit through their own fundraising. This is a classic example of when local communities, local government, state government and federal government work together to produce real outcomes that are of benefit to the whole community.