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

I rise today to talk about the Hasluck Leadership Awards. This program was started by previous Liberal member for Hasluck, Stuart Henry, and has resulted in seven young leaders from across Hasluck travelling to Canberra to experience life in the capital.

As soon as I was elected I pledged to reinstate this program, which seeks to develop, recognise and celebrate the leadership of our young people. Every high school in Hasluck was invited to nominate a year 11 student to enter the competition. The two winners will travel to Canberra and stay for a week in August to meet with senior decision-makers and leaders, both political and non-political.

Students were invited to answer the question: how will I benefit from the trip to Canberra? The seven finalists were then interrogated by an independent panel which required off-the-cuff, two-minute answers to some topical and difficult questions on leadership. I wanted to identify the leadership potential of our young people and provide some of them with the opportunity to apply this talent in the real world and to act as role models for their peers. The seven finalists all carried themselves exceptionally well and were a credit to their families and schools.

I would like to acknowledge Michelle Gaudin from Darling Range Sports College, Mariah Williams from Governor Stirling Senior High School, Angela Gazey from Kalamunda Senior High School, Heather Barnwall from La Salle College, Shaiden McNamara from Lumen Christi College, Joshua Bretnall from Mazenod College and Joanne Pryce from St Brigid's College. Each one of these young people were outstanding in their own individual right and are winners already, even without this recognition.

However, there were only two winners on the night as determined by the independent panel of judges consisting of Paul Rosair, the Director General of the Department of Regional Development and Lands; Tracey Hodgkins from Australian Experiential Learning Centre; First Class Constable Kay Turner from the Gosnells PCYC; Councillor Allan Morton from the Shire of Kalamunda, and Mark Pescud, a teacher at Ashburton Primary School. I would like to thank each and every one of the judging panel who had to make some tough decisions due to the calibre of the students in front of them. Each young person had their own individual skills and any one of them could have been recognised as the recipient of the major prize.

The judges found that Joshua Bretnall from Mazenod College and Joanne Pryce from St Brigid's College were the two standout students during the judging process. Both will be joining my and staff and me in Canberra during August.

None of this would be possible without our major sponsors, which I would like to publicly acknowledge: Qantas, Brikmakers, the Swan Chamber of Commerce, WesTrac, David Goode from Westate Finance, the Damien Cole Group and Tony Trlin & Co. Builders. Without them this opportunity for the young people of Hasluck would not have been possible.

What also made the evening special was the attendance of Senator Judith Adams and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition Julie Bishop MP. Julie was extremely giving of her time and spoke to each student and their families at length about challenges in leadership, and of the students' respective achievements. Senator Judith Adams also provided an insight into leadership, talking to families about her long and distinguished career in the Senate. She has been a supporter of the Hasluck Leadership Awards since Stuart Henry commenced the program.

Additionally, what made the evening so positive was the attitude of the students who did not win the final prizes. They were upbeat and optimistic and it seemed keen to get on with their studies and start their lives as year 12 students next year. I was astounded at their approach to life, their maturity and intelligence. They all have powerful aspirations in the fields of defence and law, for example, and are ready to contribute to society. As a result, I was inspired to launch the Hasluck Young Leaders Program on the same evening. This is open to all the award nominees plus head boys and girls from all high schools across Hasluck. It is an opportunity for students to participate in policy debates, excursions to locations such as state parliament and meet a number of different leaders within the community. This is designed to ensure that our young leaders across the electorate have every opportunity. In our society, we are too quick to point the finger at young people as being troublesome, disrespectful and even dangerous to others. I would like to challenge that notion, and do so with this program.

In my dealings with hundreds of young people across the electorate, I continue to be overwhelmingly impressed with the nature and commitment of many of these young people. These young people should be recognised by their peers as examples of what can be achieved through dedication and effort, and I am proud that they were part of the Hasluck Leadership Awards and will be part of the Hasluck Young Leaders Program in the future.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about an uplifting event I attended in my electorate of Fowler last Friday. As members will be aware, last week was Families Week. Right across the country, community groups gathered to celebrate families in all their manifestations, including nuclear families and families in the broader community with different religions and from different cultures but with common interests.

In my electorate, I attended an event coordinated by Mission Australia and at the invitation of Lucy Reggio, who is also the President of Special Needs Ability Program Providers. Lucy does an outstanding job in the local community. Her organisation works tirelessly to provide social and recreational activities for adults and children with disabilities. I know personally of a number of children and families whose lives have been greatly enriched by the work of Lucy and her group.

In disability services, we can sometimes focus very much on the negative. That is not to diminish the great challenges that people in our community with disabilities face. But Lucy's organisation focuses on the positive and provides a social group where people can come together, meet and participate in recreational activities in a safe environment. A number of other local community groups also attended that day: the Cubbyhouse, who enhance the social skills of children, including those with an autism spectrum disorder; the South West Youth Peer Education, who support local teenagers; and Inspire Church, a local, very active church in our community in the south-west of Sydney. That is just to name a few of the participants. It was also great to see the event supported by the local police and fire brigade. Food as well as entertainment was provided for everybody.

The theme of the event was 'Sticking Together in Good Tough Times'. I know members would agree this is particularly relevant considering the number of natural disasters our nation and our neighbours have suffered in recent times. I think it is fair to say that at times like these Australians tend to come together as a family. We empathise with each other, we support each other and we do what we can to help those who are most in need. Family in the community is particularly important when the nuclear family is not available and sometimes not even close by.

My electorate of Fowler is the most multicultural electorate in the country. For many that cultural diversity brings huge advantages. But for many residents, particularly those who have only recently arrived in this country, their extended families are overseas, and getting together can be an expensive exercise that is out of reach. It is important that that community groups fill this gap, providing essential support and services to many.

Groups in our community who support those with a disability and their families are to be commended. I am very passionate about doing all I can, while I am an elected member, to understand the needs of those groups, particularly issues of disability in our community, and where I can to support them. It goes to the heart of our Labor values, and I am very proud to work for the Labor government, who has done much to provide services to those living with disabilities.

This Friday, 27 May, I will be holding a Disabilities Forum in my electorate, where a large number of community groups and residents will come together. It is my hope that by hearing directly from those involved, I can gain a better understanding of the difficulties of those who are faced with disabilities and their families. Through that, I hope to find the best way that we as a government can provide support for them.

At the end of the event, it is my intention to provide Senator Jan McLucas, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, with a report with the recommendations of all those who are present next week. I would like to thank in advance those who have helped me put together this event and have supported the idea, such as Lucy Reggio, and Grace Fava, from Autism Advisory and Support Services. This is sure to be an informative and important event, and for those who live in south-west Sydney it is essential that we learn to come to terms with living with disabilities, ensure their inclusion in our society and make sure that we support those families who are affected— (Time expired)