Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under the Australian government’s Volunteer Grants Program, my electorate of Calwell received a total of $91,262 in funding which was allocated across 24 local community groups. The range of successful groups gives a valuable snapshot of the extent of community activity and interest in my electorate of Calwell. Overall, Calwell is not a wealthy electorate if measured in dollars or property values, but it is extremely rich in social capital—the invaluable qualities of compassion, caring for community, interest in helping others and working together for the greater good.

Amongst the grant recipients, we have groups dedicated to the preservation of the local history, culture and natural heritage of the area such as the Broadmeadows Historical Society and the Friends of Woodlands Historic Park. We also have groups providing sporting activities for a range of age groups such as the Donnybrook Cricket Club, the Gladstone Park Tennis Club, the Hume City Swimming Club, the Archery in Schools Program, the Sunbury Little Athletics Centre and the Hume University of the Third Age, which offers a terrific weight-training program for older people. We have multicultural groups promoting mutual support and harmony through diversity such as the Community in Harmony group, the Meadow Heights Turkish Women’s Association, the St Addai Community Society, the St Oprahaa Association and the Shranish Association as well as groups offering spiritual support and wellbeing, including the North Victorian Buddhist Association and the Sunbury Baptist Church.

Of course, we also have a wide range of general service organisations that offer so much to the community at large through fundraising, emergency services, practical assistance and skills development for their members. These include the Campbellfield Lions, the Clarkfield Fire Brigade, the Full Gas Peddlers, Networking Women, the North Metro Region Girl Guides, the Sunbury Girl Guides, the Craigieburn and District First Response Team, the Craigieburn Scout Group and the Craigieburn Rover Crew.

There are many more vibrant and hardworking community organisations in Calwell, and unfortunately not all of them were able to receive grants under the Volunteer Grants Program. I wish, however, to acknowledge their importance nonetheless. I wish to congratulate those groups who were successful in this round, and while the grants are relatively small amounts of money they will hopefully make a real difference, enabling groups to purchase vital basic equipment, relieve the burden of fuel costs and improve the services community groups can offer to their members and to the communities they serve. The additional value of the grants is the recognition they offer to those who invest so much of their time, energy, skills and dedication to keeping these organisations running. I also congratulate the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs for initiating this terrific program which supports the not-for-profit sector at its most grassroots and arguably most important level.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for constituency statements has concluded.