Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Volunteers are what make this country great. We have seen in the past 12 months and earlier on this year that the spirit of the volunteer is alive and well in this country. I would like to take a moment to thank some of the volunteers who have made a major difference in the lives of people not just in Hasluck but across this great nation of ours.

My office received scores of calls and emails from people who wanted to know the best way they could help the flood appeal from the other side of Australia. Many donated what they could. Pensioners put their hands in their pockets to help others when they hardly had enough to help themselves and young people raised money at shopping centres. All of these efforts are worthy of praise, particularly the efforts of the Swan Districts Football Club in Bassendean, Western Australia. Instead of putting their feet up after winning the WA AFL grand final, the team and management at their own expense flew to the other side of Australia and mucked in with the clean-up efforts in Brisbane. I understand this was the single biggest effort from a sporting club in Australia, and I salute them.

Western Australia has not escaped unscathed from this summer of natural disasters impacting on our coast. Literally the fringe of my electorate was hit by a major bushfire. Over 70 homes were lost but, mercifully, there was no loss of life. That was in no small part thanks to the SES and bushfire fighter volunteers who call Hasluck home. I would like to thank the 25,000 bushfire fighters in WA, who are organised into 750 brigades, but there is just not enough time. Instead, I want to thank the volunteer firefighters from across the City of Swan, the City of Gosnells, the Shire of Kalamunda and the Shire of Mundaring, who pulled together to help their colleagues fight this terrible blaze. I would also like to thank the SES organisations of Swan, Gosnells and Kalamunda for their efforts in assisting with the storms and natural disasters that impacted the region over the past 12 months.

Volunteers come from all walks of life. Last year I attended a volunteer thankyou barbecue in Kalamunda. There are over 200 local volunteers who aid in a range of programs across the shire. Without these magnificent people, Hasluck citizens would not enjoy the quality of life that they do. They care for our elderly, work in our schools, help out at sporting clubs and strive to improve the lives of our disadvantaged. To you all, I say thank you.

The contribution of people who put in time and effort is significant to the communities in which they live. Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith did not want to let his mates or the people around him down. Let us hold these people up as modern-day heroes from all walks of life. To all of them, I say thank you for the volunteer work that you do to make the lives of others better.