Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to speak about some of the wonderful community organisations in the electorate of Forde that have benefited from the coalition government's Stronger Communities Program. Firstly, I would like to speak about Twin Rivers community care at Eagleby. They have received $10,450 through round 1 of the Stronger Communities Program to put towards air conditioning of their food co-op. The food co-op offers fresh food and other essential grocery items at very low cost, which provides a tremendous service to the people in our community who are on a tight budget. Their motto is that their service is about treating people with the dignity and respect they deserve and offering a hand-up rather than a hand-out.

People who grocery shop in supermarkets do so under the comfort of an air conditioned centre, so why not the people who work and shop at Twin Rivers Food Co-op. The centre can get quite during the summer and this federal funding will help Twin Rivers Community Care offer comfort and support to Eagleby and surrounding communities.

Secondly, is Calvary Lighthouse Care at Loganholme, which is another great local organisation to benefit from the Stronger Communities Program. Ron and Debbie Hill are two amazing and hardworking people in our community who also offer low-cost groceries, including their popular $25 shopping trolleys. Their next project is the Lighthouse Care kitchen project, which has been given a boost with a $10,000 grant under the Stronger Communities Program. It was a pleasure to announce Lighthouse Care as recipients of this grant, as they are such a deserving organisation. They are currently working on a great project to open a cafe at their Loganholme site, where they will provide support and assistance to those in need. It is a terrific initiative, and I look forward to our contribution giving them the boost to complete the project.

Providing funds over a number of years under Stronger Communities across all electorates across Australia is a tremendous way that this government has sought to support those smaller organisations and groups in our community that do so much tremendous work—work that very often does not get the publicity and recognition that bigger organisations' work does. It is true that the work of these many small organisations across the country allows people who are in need—who need a hand up rather than a handout—to go to these organisations and find support and help. So I commend the work that the Stronger Communities Program is doing across the country to support these great organisations.