Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The best thing about growing up as a publican was the fact that every day you got to meet some amazing people. In a lot of ways that is my favourite part of being a federal MP. You can give or take Canberra—and we are coming to the end of a long sitting session—

Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Easy on my home town.

Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are the local member. You get to go home every weekend in sitting weeks and in non-sitting weeks and you get to knock around with some amazing people. True, if you do not get on with them as a publican you can tell them to go away but as a politician you have to be politically correct—and I almost was politically incorrect there, Madam Speaker.

A couple of weeks ago I met a bloke who I have no doubt will be a mate of mine for the rest of my life. He is an amazing character. His story began in 1986 in my local area when he was ordained the pastor of the Ashfield Uniting Church parish. He is Reverend Bill Crews. Madam Speaker, as you come from Sydney you might have occasionally turned the dial to 2GB and heard John Singleton at 11.30 each morning announcing that the Loaves and Fishes at the Ashfield Uniting Church is open for the day.

The story for Bill began there in 1986. It started simply with him opening his church to the homeless and every now and then—and it started on a Monday night—giving them a bite to eat. From all good things great things grow, and this is no exception. After three years of Bill doing this in an ad hoc fashion, in 1989, with the help of John Singleton—in Singo style, after winning a group 1 race at Randwick one day he donated the winner's cheque to Bill Crews—they kicked off their amazing escapades that continue to this day. Having met the man and heard his vision I do not know where this will end. That was the most exciting part of meeting him a couple of weeks ago.

Twenty-five years later that facility offers two meals a day seven days a week. The numbers are staggering. It is sad but refreshing to see someone enter this space in such a humble way to provide a much needed service in our local community. Bill and his crew at Exodus at Ashfield are serving 1,000 meals a day 365 days a year. That keeps increasing with time. In 2009, knowing there was a need for his service outside of the area, he purchased his first food van. He is now every night offering the same service for two hours to local homeless people in the Woolloomooloo area. The donations Bill and his team have attracted to build this facility to cater for the needs of those less fortunate in our area are mind-blowing.

The exciting thing is that Bill is not done. That day when we tossed around some ideas of things we could do in other areas of my electorate, particularly in the asylum seeker and refugee space, Bill was champing at the bit to come and have a look. I have put in a request for Minister Scott Morrison to come and have a look as well.

You cannot come away with anything other than awe at the humility of this man who has devoted himself not only to God but to his local community in a way that so aptly reflects what Jesus told us in the Bible. I grew up in a religious family and my two all-time favourite Bible passages are in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus tells us whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers you do to me and in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus tells us again that he wants doers not talkers. Those two verses are no better displayed than by this amazing man and the team he has put around him. Bill knocks around with, houses and feeds the least of our brothers seven days a week 365 days a year. They are his brothers, they are my brothers and they are our brothers. He does not just talk about it; he gets out there and does it.

As you can see, Bill has made an impact on me. He will be a mate for the rest of my life. He is an inspiring character. I hope that I can help him in the time I have in this place. I hope to do more and more after I leave here as well.