Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to share some exceptional achievements of people in my electorate. I wish to acknowledge the outstanding effort of Yazmin Brown, a 17-year-old who has been named the Australian school based apprentice of the year. Yazmin has been studying a certificate III in automotive technology at Casuarina Senior College and also works at Kerry’s Automotive Group in Stuart Park. Yazmin recently appeared in a Northern Territory News article and provided this valuable piece of advice to other young people starting out in their careers:

As long as you have passion for what you’re doing, you’ll stay in it.

I think we in this place would all agree that these are wise words for someone so young.

I also wish to acknowledge Sitzler, who won the national workplace health and safety commercial award at the Master Builders national awards here in Canberra last Friday night. This award was for the fin fan walkways stair and ladder installation. I extend to the director of Sitzler, Steve Margetic, and his staff who worked on this project my sincere congratulations. Workplace safety is for everyone.

I also want to share the fantastic initiative by Mark Noonan, the AFLNT umpire and game development manager, who runs a program where prisoners from Berrimah prison are recruited and trained as boundary umpires in the AFLNT competition. I understand that there are about a dozen prisoners who have been recruited and around six now officiate as boundary umpires each weekend. The results are very encouraging. The aim of this program is to assist with the rehabilitation of prisoners and also to increase umpiring resources. In a recent ABC Stateline interview, the prisoners talked about the respect they had gained from others and for themselves by participating in this program. Each one has talked about the improved discipline they have felt as a result. I wish to congratulate the AFLNT and Corrective Services for embracing this initiative and in particular Mr Mark Noonan, who instructs and coaches these men.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity, given that it will probably be the last time I rise in this place before Christmas, to wish my parliamentary colleagues and their staff a safe and merry Christmas. As a new member, I extend my personal thanks to those more experienced than I who have given me a helping hand. But I wish to remind honourable members that there will be those who will find it difficult this Christmas for a variety of reasons. Some will be experiencing a sense of loss, missing those loved ones overseas with the Australian Defence Force, and some will be struggling financially under the pressures associated with the cost of living. I encourage all Australians to support those families in need. In my electorate of Solomon, it can be as simple as putting a gift under the Kmart wishing tree or donating food at a Salvation Army or St Vinnie’s collection point. I wish everyone in the electorate of Solomon a merry Christmas and a happy new year.