Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this week I was privileged to attend the Champions of the West awards at Rooty Hill RSL. It was the culmination of the Fair Go for the West campaign. I would like to congratulate the Daily Telegraph and NewsLocal community papers, Nova and Channel 7 for their strong and genuine commitment to the people of my region in south-west Sydney, as evidenced by their strong support and promotion of the Fair Go for the West campaign. I was delighted to attend the event alongside the Prime Minister and several colleagues, and to see local heroes from my community recognised for the good work that they do in making our region the fantastic place that it is.

Since they were established in Liverpool more than 20 years ago, the Young Adults Disabled Association have been a fantastic initiative who are well supported by the Liverpool community. So I was very pleased to see YADA of Liverpool's Liftin' the Load program win the environmental category on the night. In the community category, Neighbourhood Connections of Warwick Farm won with the Youth Space program, where they have created dedicated and safe places for children in the neighbourhood to play outside. I should also point out that Neighbourhood Connections have been doing a lot of good work with a number of initiatives and that in 2012 they were honoured by a visit from the then Governor-General.

I would also like to add to the record my thoughts on another important campaign for south-west Sydney called Cover Our Kids, which aims to increase the amount of shadecloth and covering across our children's playgrounds. This is in support of the work from the New South Wales Cancer Council to prevent exposure to harmful UV rays, and it is a program I strongly back. Shadecloths over our playgrounds are needed because this generation of kids are often inside with their computers, PlayStations and videos, so it is very important to give our kids as many opportunities as they can to be outdoors and playing. What is more, we have to make sure it is safe. Shadecloths provide an important benefit in two ways: providing protection from harmful UV rays while also preventing the equipment heating up under the direct sunlight to the point where children will not touch it in the middle of a hot summer's day.

Recent studies by the Cancer Council found that areas of south-west Sydney have significantly less shadecloth than elsewhere in Sydney. This is of great concern to me as it adversely affects the children and families in my electorate. But thankfully things are finally turning the corner. I would like to commend our Liverpool mayor and the Liverpool councillors for their decision to commit $200,000 to build shade structures in many playgrounds in the region. I would also like to take note of the leadership of the New South Wales Cancer Council for their excellent work in promoting awareness for the need for more shade covers over public playgrounds. I also draw to the attention of the House their innovative shade for schools grant program, where schools can apply for grants of up to $25,000 to purchase a shade cover for the school playground. Finally, I would like to thank the shadecloth industry for their work in protecting our children, including Glenn Barlow, Beatrice Moonen, Tom Gastin and George Formosa: you represent a great Australian industry doing very important work.