Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was delighted to join a group of young people from my electorate in the early hours of Sunday morning as they boarded a plane to head for Timor-Leste. This group are on the Kalamunda Schoolies Timor-Leste trip. It is the second year that the trip has been in operation. There were 14 very excited young people heading for what I hope will be a life-changing experience for them. I can certainly say that, after speaking to last year’s participants, many of them were fundamentally changed by their trip to Timor and had such a wonderful time whilst they were there.

These young people, instead of heading off to our coastal towns and summer holiday villages to celebrate the end of their schooling lives, are heading off to two small villages in Timor, some two hours from Dili, where they will be working on a variety of community projects. I would very much like to record my respect and admiration for Brian Davis and Lyn Harris, who have coordinated the project this year. I would also like to congratulate the Kalamunda Rotary Club and the Kalamunda Chamber of Commerce for their terrific work in supporting and sponsoring this year’s trip. A lot of hard work goes into raising money to ensure that the trip is a success. As I have said, it is an obviously rewarding one. (Time expired)