Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to talk about a number of things that are happening in my community. One that I am very excited about, as obviously we all are, is about fulfilling an election promise. In April I announced the successful tenderer to install 52 hi-tech infra-red CCTV cameras around the Casino CBD. They are being placed in prominent positons throughout the town to make the community safer. The total cost of this project is $463,000. A live feed from all the cameras are sent to the Casino police station and is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The infra-red cameras can recognise a face from several hundred metres. Four of the 52 cameras, known as PTZ cameras, can make a 360-degree sweep of the environment, change angles to look at objects both above and below the cameras, and zoom in to give objects greater detail. Evidence shows that surveillance is a useful crime prevention strategy. The infra-red cameras will be placed at the intersections of Barker, Canterbury, Centre and Walker streets and will cover all adjoining areas, including the Irving Bridge and McAuliffe Park. The PTZ cameras will also be situated on Centre and Walker streets, Centre and Barker, and Barker and Walker as well as near the Caltex service station. Casino's cameras are part of this government's $50 million program over three years to make our streets safer. The second round is opening in the next couple of months, and I encourage all communities in the electorate of Page to apply for this. I congratulate the Richmond Valley Council on the way they have managed this program.

The second thing I would like to talk about is that this Saturday my community will be Walking the Walk for Lifeline Northern Rivers. It is an eight-kilometre walk, but it is mostly downhill. The people who participate in this annual walk will be raising money for Lifeline, and every dollar counts. Why would people be doing this walk? Because Lifeline saves lives every day. Lifeline is often the only 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service available to Australians in crisis. People who, for one reason or another, are struggling to cope with life's challenges often find this service lifesaving.

Lifeline Northern Rivers volunteer crisis supporters will answer more than 15,000 crisis calls this year. Many of those calls will come from people who are at imminent or significant risk of taking their own lives. Why will people do this walk? Because more than 2,500 Australians take their own lives every year, and Lifeline plays a key role in suicide prevention and intervention in the Northern Rivers. Also, Lifeline Northern Rivers is an important part of our region's social infrastructure. I recently had the honour of attending the opening of Lifeline Northern Rivers's new crisis support centre in Lismore, which was officially opened by Lifeline Australia CEO Jane Hayden. I would also like to acknowledge all the walkers and organisers of Saturday's event—in particular, Niall Mulligan, the counselling centre manager of Lifeline Northern Rivers. From personal experience, my own mother, who was a Lifeline phone counsellor, found it rewarding in the sense that she was doing volunteer work, but it also very much improved her life skills. She was always a very good listener, but she became an even better person after doing the training with Lifeline and gaining the skills they give you when learning that role.

The third thing I want to talk about is the Lantern Parade. People visiting my Lismore office will soon see giant star lanterns hanging from the roof. Many shops in my area are doing the same. It is all part of the annual Lismore Lantern Parade. This is an iconic community event on the streets of Lismore. It attracts literally thousands of people who line the street to watch the parade. It has a very festive atmosphere and has an amazingly large crowd. It is made up of community groups and schools, including preschools, who often attend lantern-making workshops in the lead-up to the parade.    The parade is run by volunteers and funded by donations, and I would like to acknowledge everyone who is involved in putting this event together and all the people who come along and watch and make it the great community event that it is.