Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to recognise the tremendous work Liz Thompson from Palm Beach continues to do with the Sharing Stories Foundation. The foundation supports the maintenance and strengthening of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages. It implements innovative, community-based digital storytelling programs and works with senior cultural custodians to map song cycles and ancestral creation tracks on country. The foundation is also developing interactive digital platforms to hold language and culture for future generations. I am very proud to be part of a government that has allocated $100,000 to facilitate the group's language project. Liz tells me the money will be invaluable for recording important cultural stories in the traditional languages to which they belong. The foundation will work with participating communities to develop bilingual, interactive multi-touch storybooks, which will include animations, photography and interactive maps.

Liz proves that individuals can make a difference. We can use our expertise to think up new and creative ways to tackle particular issues in our community. Our role as a government is to provide the necessary framework and facilitate these private initiatives—essentially, getting out of the way so these projects can flourish. Once again, Liz and the Sharing Stories Foundation are a testament to the 'roll up your sleeves' approach and dynamism of the people of Mackellar. (Time expired)