Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In his 1961 inaugural address at a time of great upheaval across not only America but the world, the United States President John F Kennedy challenged his fellow countrymen and women to ask ‘not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country’. As the world faces another series of great challenges, very much the result of the current global financial crisis, it is appropriate for us as Australian citizens to ask ourselves what we can do to support not only our nation but also our neighbours, our friends, our families and our communities in these difficult times.

It is for this reason that last month I initiated a citizenship prize amongst all of the primary and secondary schools throughout my electorate to be awarded to the student who best exemplifies the traits of citizenry defined as the duties and responsibilities that come with being a member of a community. It is anticipated that these awards will be handed out at each participating school’s graduation ceremony or end-of-year assembly, and I hope to be able to attend as many of these gatherings as possible to personally award these prizes to the winning students. I strongly believe that by encouraging the next generation of community leaders to think and act in a way that is to the benefit of those who share their environment we are establishing a basis upon which our society can continue to grow in a cohesive and supportive manner.

In this vein I also congratulate all those who were elected councillors of the City of Greater Geelong in the weekend’s election and, in particular, those newly elected councillors. They are all great people and have chosen to sacrifice their own time in support of the Geelong community. There is much work to be done in our region as Geelong goes through a difficult economic period and a period of transition that will carry it into the future. For my part, I look forward to working with the council to meet the challenges ahead.

I would like to take this opportunity to put before the new councillors for their consideration an initiative my office has been developing. There currently exists no award at a governmental level that acknowledges an individual citizen of the Geelong region for their efforts in support of our community. I propose that the Geelong community, through its government, the City of Greater Geelong, bestow on an annual basis the Geelong Citizen of the Year Award, in much the same vein as the Australian or Victorian of the year awards. The assignment of such an award could best be presided over by an independent panel of judges, could be open to any permanent resident within the borders of the City of Greater Geelong and could be based on a predetermined list of criteria set by the judging panel, such as caring for fellow citizens, assisting fellow citizens in difficulty and fostering a culture of kindness. The council is best positioned to administer such an award, and I will be taking this proposal to the new council at the earliest possible opportunity.