Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will rise to acknowledge the important role the scout movement plays in our community and particularly in my electorate of Kooyong. Recently I attended the Scout District of Boroondara's AGM at the 1st Hawthorn Scout Hall at Scotch College. Boroondara, which to a large degree mirrors the boundaries of Kooyong, is a hub of activity for hundreds of Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers. There are in fact 19 scout groups with over 1,200 members in Boroondara, leading many to claim it is the largest scout district in Australia.

Some of these groups, like 1st City of Camberwell and 1st Kew, are particularly noteworthy as they are amongst the oldest in the country. Their formation came soon after the first-ever scout camp was held in 1907 on Brownsea Island off England's Dorset Coast. The brainchild of former British soldier, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, scouting quickly transformed from its humble beginnings to become the world's largest youth organisation with a membership of over 28 million. It attracts young people from all walks of life and proudly counts among its most famous Australian alumni Sir Jack Brabham, Dick Smith, Geoffrey Blainey and John Faine, among many others.

Staying true to the values and aspirations of Baden-Powell, its first World Chief Scout, the movement offers a unique opportunity for young boys and girls to spend time outdoors, learning important skills, working as a team and building friendships and a sense of camaraderie that stands the test of time. These youthful experiences that build confidence and develop leadership, all while having fun at the same time, are more important than ever in today's fast-moving world. The lure of a television screen or a computer game cannot compete with the opportunity to live in tents, cook your own food or travel to jamboree.

Living by the ethos 'live, do and lead', the scouting movement is also highly conscious of its commitment to serve the broader community. In Boroondara you will often find scouts planting trees, involved in Clean-Up Australia Day or, as they did recently, assisting the flood victims in Victoria repair their homes. It is this special opportunity to help others while at the same time getting involved in a variety of other fun activities, like theatrical performances at Camberwell Showtime or the Melbourne Gang Show that gives the scouts such broad appeal.

As I listened at the AGM to the young scouts and the group leaders talk about what they had achieved over the last year, including some who had recently been to Sweden for World Jamboree, their enthusiasm and commitment was both obvious and infectious. No wonder their membership numbers are growing at such a rapid rate. Phillip Wood, the district commissioner for Boroondara, Bob Taylor, chief commissioner of the Victorian branch, and Brendan Watson, regional commissioner for Melbourne, and their fellow leaders in the scout movement deserve to be congratulated on a job well done.

Let me say also how pleased I am that Lord Baden-Powell's grandson, the Hon. Michael Baden-Powell, a branch commissioner of Scouts Victoria, resides with his wife, Joan, in Camberwell in the heart of my electorate. Their contribution to the scouting movement is both longstanding and significant. I wish the Scout District of Boroondara only continued success and say to the parents, team leaders and scouts themselves: you are part of a wonderful community organisation with a proud history and an even brighter future.