Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Quite a number of years ago, a business in a small town in my electorate of Mallee called Luv-a-Duck needed to get workers and they started to bring in Karen refugees. That has been a real success for that town, but we needed something for a more diversified economy that had more jobs for other Karens, particularly some of the Karen women. It is my pleasure to tell the House that next Thursday Paw Po Products will open a shop in Nhill. Now I have been at the Nhill Neighbourhood House Learning Centre, where ladies who have sewing skills have worked with the Karen refugee ladies to make products that they are going to have for sale. The Nationals' Stronger Communities Program was able to commit $10,000 to help this shopfront open.

This is a great example of, firstly, an extra shop opening in a country town; secondly, encouraging a community to interact and integrate; but thirdly, saying to the people of Australia that you can integrate refugees into country towns and it can be a real success. It has been something just beautiful—a country town now where you cannot buy a house because the houses are full, more houses are getting built, the kindergarten is full because the people are having children, and we have workers and we have industry investing. It is my pleasure to congratulate the Paw Po Products. If you are driving through Nhill, stop, have a feed, buy some of this great craft, and celebrate the diversity of our regional and small country towns.