Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The 36th community cabinet was held in Launceston last week. The community cabinet is a great opportunity for people to bring their concerns directly to their federal representatives and for the government to get firsthand access to community perceptions and expectations. Prime Minister Gillard and many of her ministers spent time in the state in the lead-up to the community forum engaging with communities about local and federal issues.

I visited Launceston's Tas-Fab steel fabrication plant with the Minister for Innovation and Industry, the Hon. Greg Combet. We talked to Tim Peypers, their managing director, about how they are using their $300,000-plus grant from the Tasmania Innovation and Investment Fund to expand their Launceston operations and employ new staff. The Prime Minister and I were also able to visit the Benevolent Society and hear about how they were going to spend their $50,000 in federal funding, funding which will assist them in fitting out their new premises in Kings Meadows so they can continue to create positive social change in our local community.

At the Launceston General Hospital, the Prime Minister officially opened the Northern Integrated Care Centre and the University of Tasmania's Launceston Clinical School. The centre will help patients better manage chronic and complex conditions by providing accessible, customer focused and integrated services. The Northern Integrated Care Centre also includes the University of Tasmania's Launceston Clinical School, which conducts undergraduate medical training for years 4 and 5, as well as for postgraduate and PhD students. The clinical school was developed with the support of a $3 million grant from the federal government's Capital Development Program. These facilities are proof that national health reform—and, in particular, improving primary health care for all Australians—is making a real difference in helping Australians get the high quality services that meet their needs and the needs of their families.

I also visited Ravenswood Heights Primary School with the Prime Minister and Senator Jacinta Collins, the Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations. The school held a forum with parents, students and teachers. They discussed with the Prime Minister how they are benefiting from funding received under the national numeracy and literacy partnerships, the national curriculum and how the school will benefit from the National Plan for School Improvement. I thank Principal Brittany Roestenberg for warmly welcoming us to her school.

The community forum, which was open to the public of Northern Tasmania and which was held at Launceston College, was a great success. Local community members took the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister and cabinet members about various local and national issues, including Bass Strait freight charges, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, carbon pricing and international aid. I thank Principal Keith Wenn, along with all the students involved, for making the event a success. Keith pointed out some of Launceston College's many achievements and I would also like to note his personal dedication to education in Tasmania. Keith has worked for students for some 35 years in various schools throughout Tasmania. We are very lucky to have him at Launceston College. The forum was marked by a touching moment when Mr Syd Edwards read a letter he had written to the Prime Minister, expressing his admiration for her leadership.

So far, more than 13,500 people have attended community cabinet meetings across the country. I am proud to be part of a government that is inclusive and allows the community to have direct access to ministers and the Prime Minister. This was open to all of the community. There were even some Liberals there—to learn. It was quite an interesting event. Some of the people who attended were not necessarily pro Labor, I can tell you, but I am sure that, after the meeting, they had been won over by our magnificent Prime Minister, who did a fantastic job. I thank the Prime Minister and her cabinet colleagues for coming to the electorate of Bass and I thank the members of the public who came along to ensure its great success.

House adjourned at 17:00