Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to congratulate and pay tribute to a former constituent of mine, Matt Haanappel. I have got to know Matt fairly well in the last couple of years. He was recognised on Australia Day for his contribution to sport and community, with a Medal of the Order of Australia. Matt is from Croydon Hills, formerly in the electorate of Casey, and has cerebral palsy. He competed in the London Paralympic Games, where he won a number of medals including a gold medal as part of the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay. He also works as an official ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Glen Waverley in Victoria. I have had the pleasure of meeting Matt on a number of occasions. He is a passionate and positive member of the community. Since his award, he has won numerous other events, set numerous records and broken his own records, and he is now studying at the Institute of Sport here in Canberra. I wish him very well into the future. I congratulate him on his achievement, and I know that he will do Australia proud in both the Commonwealth Games and the next Olympic Games.