Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to update the House on a local, but very important, issue I have been working on in my electorate with Councillor Glenys Godfrey of Belmont. The Belmont Toy Library has been operating out of its current location at the Redcliffe Park Community Centre since 2003 and has provided a wonderful service to families across the area. This is a valuable and much-loved service. The community centre manages to bring families together in the community while at the same time encouraging play, which, as Glenys has said, is a very important part of children's development in their early years.

However, such has been the success of the toy library—under the guidance of Angela Holmes, Heather Forrester and Julie-Anne Beasley—that it has reached capacity in its current location, with a membership of about 35 families. It has reached the point where, in order to expand the services it provides to the community, it needs to move to bigger permanent accommodation.

As such, over the last couple of months I have been working with Councillor Godfrey and the Belmont Toy Library committee on a plan to facilitate a move to expand local services so that more families can benefit. We discussed this plan with Heather and Julie-Anne on a visit to the toy library on 21 July. It was fantastic to see the benefit the children were getting and it was a productive meeting with regard to the plan for expanded services and relocation.

Benefits of a move could potentially include increasing access for Belmont families, including a possible mid-week toy library session. There would also be opportunities for expanding the toy collection and, depending on the location, providing outdoor spaces and better facilities for the children. There could also be potential for a networked computer system and a child-friendly kitchen and bathrooms.

I have also consulted with the community, and many people have returned the surveys I sent out to let me know what they think. There has been a high response rate and there has been widespread support expressed for an expansion of services at a new centre. It is clear that the toy library is loved by parents and grandparents alike and that residents want to see it succeed.

As part of the plan, we have been discussing the possibility of a number of new locations across Belmont for the site, including the Redcliffe kindergarten, the former Cloverdale kindergarten in Sydenham Street and the proposed multi-user Centenary Park community and recreation centre, which I have been supporting redevelopment plans for. The Centenary Park option could be particularly promising, with a potential redevelopment, including the toy library, and providing families with state-of-the-art facilities. I have supported the City of Belmont in its requests for funding for this project. These options require council approval and Glenys Godfrey has been working on this as well. We are hopeful of a good result and I will continue to keep the House updated. I would also like to congratulate the committee at the Belmont Toy Library for their service to the community and their dynamic and forward thinking approach. I wish them all the best for the future, and hopefully in the near future we will have some good news from the state government and Lotterywest.