Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the Order of Australia is the highest national honour awarded to Australian citizens for outstanding contributions to our country or humanity at large;

(2) notes that since being established by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, there have been more than 30,000 recipients of awards in the Order of Australia;

(3) recognises the almost one thousand recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order announced in the Australia Day 2017 Honours List who come from an array of fields including science, education, governance, business, community service and sport; and

(4) congratulates all the recipients of awards in the 2017 Australia Day Honours List.

The Order of Australia was inaugurated in 1975 to recognise Australians who demonstrate outstanding achievement or service. In the past 42 years more than 30,000 people have been received into the order. Today I would like to congratulate the recipients from my electorate who were recognised in this year's Australia Day honours list. From service in education, medicine and music to the welfare of patrons and the wider community, the recipients reflect the ability and diversity of our Berowra community. This service is an inspiration to others. Almost nothing is more valuable than a good education. The minds of the next generation of thinkers, entrepreneurs and leaders are being shaped today by some of the most dedicated members of our community.

Awarded a medal in the Order of Australia, Archibald Park from Cheltenham started out as a teacher at Eden High School in 1965. A specialist in industrial arts, since then he has taught students at Glendale, Newcastle technical, Macarthur girls, Northmead and Muirfield high schools.

For her work as an educator, teacher and mentor, as well as her work preserving and documenting Australian history and heritage, Associate Professor Carol Liston AO of Beecroft has been recognised. Dr Liston works at Western Sydney University, where she specialises in the early history of New South Wales and is also co-editor of the Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society.

Caroline Xu Yi OAM has also being recognised for her service in education to the Chinese community of New South Wales. Ms Xu Yi is the principal of the Feng Hua Chinese school, a community language school that teaches Mandarin Chinese and helps newly arrived Chinese immigrants adjust to life in Australia. Caroline is also a longstanding member of the Australian Chinese Community Association.

Dawn Nettheim OAM of Cheltenham was honoured this year for her service to music. A bassoonist, composer and arranger and a member of both the Golden Kangaroos and Beecroft Orchestra, Dawn Nettheim has also been a member of the Australian Music Centre, a former president of the Music Arrangers' Guild of Australia and a secretary of the Ryde Eisteddfod.

As president of the Inorganic Foundation at Sydney University and former president of the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned society in the Southern Hemisphere, Dr Donald Hector AM of Beecroft was recognised this year for his significant service to science, in the field of chemical engineering, and to business. Dr Hector is a former managing director of Dow and served on the Uniting Church synod and the council of Newington College.

Emeritus Professor William Maxwell AM, also of Beecroft, was recognised for his significant service to veterinary science in the field of animal reproductive biology. Professor Maxwell, of Sydney University, formerly served on the Editorial Advisory Committee, Reproduction in Domestic Animals, and received the Urrbrae Award 'for outstanding contributions to science and practice of Australian agriculture'.

Unfortunately, many Australian women will experience breast cancer in their lifetime. In 1989 the Australian mastectomy rate for breast cancer sufferers was 70 to 80 per cent. Professor John Boyages AM of Cheltenham reduced this rate through breast screening by setting up the Sunflower breast screening clinics in lingerie departments at Myer stores and in hospitals across Sydney and founded BreastScreen NSW Sydney West. Professor Boyages became the founding executive director of the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and is now the professor of breast oncology at Macquarie University.

Also in the field of medicine, my friend Dr Roberta Chow AM is a GP who has been recognised for her pioneering developments in the use of laser therapy techniques for chronic pain management. Just last week I had a constituent call my office to express how much of a positive impact Dr Chow had had on the treatment of her pain. Dr Chow is the foundation president of the Australian Medical Laser Association.

Philip Glendenning AM of Brooklyn, Stewart Bonett OAM of Glenorie, Lynnette Molan OAM of Cherrybrook the Rev. Dr Roger Chilton OAM of Hornsby have each been recognised. Mr Glendenning works with social welfare organisations and is a strong advocate for human rights and education. Mr Bonett served as a flight engineer with the RAAF in Vietnam and has dedicated much of his life to serving veterans and their families. I met Mr Bonnet at the Glenorie markets last year and know of his dedication. Mrs Molan gives her all to the Cherrybrook community, particularly to those mourning the loss of a child and to the local Anglican Church. Dr Chilton has been the senior minister at St Swithun's, Pymble, for over twenty years.

I have had the pleasure of meeting many members of the Rural Fire Service in Berowra, particularly over this hot summer. For over 45 years James Fahey has served the communities of Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai and New South Wales with dedication and distinction. He has held many positions throughout the Rural Fire Service including, for the past 26 years, being a district group captain. Mr Fahey's service and leadership have undoubtedly saved many homes and lives. He was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal.

There are many more members of the Berowra electorate deserving recognition for the incredible work they do every day. We should do more to acknowledge our unsung heroes. I encourage anyone who knows an Australian who is doing something special to serve our community to nominate them for recognition within the Order of Australia.

Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate and pay tribute to the exceptional Australians who are recognised on the Australia Day honour roll this year. As has been noted in the motion, the Order of Australia is the highest national honour awarded to Australian citizens for exceptional service and achievement. As illustrated by this year's honours list, we have a nation full of men and women who are doing extraordinary things in their own communities and beyond. They are making a difference to the lives of many and building our country to be a bigger and better place which is more inclusive, more open, more knowledgeable and fairer and kinder for everyone. Looking through the list, we have incredible leaders who have contributed so much to our country and way of life, like former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard AC, who took out the highest honour; Queensland's Anna Bligh; and, of course, the talented Jimmy Barnes.

I spoke in my first speech about the people of Lindsay being our best asset, and I am so proud that two gentlemen from the electorate of Lindsay were awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for their remarkable contributions to our community: Jim Tiberi from Claremont Meadows and Paul Crofts from Cambridge Gardens. Mr Tiberi, who moved to Australia at the age of eight, has contributed a great deal to the Italian-Australian community in Western Sydney. He was the founder and president of the Penrith Italian Seniors Association, and he broadcasts the Italian program on Wow FM each week, bringing beautiful Italian music and culture to the ears of our community. Before his retirement, Mr Tiberi was a civil engineer and worked on a number of large projects in Sydney, including the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the M5 East Tunnel, the Cross-city Tunnel and the Lane Cove Tunnel. He also helped to build bridges, highways and power stations across the country and overseas. He had an incredible working life, and in retirement he spends much of his time working with the University of the Third Age in Penrith, tutoring other seniors in Italian language and computer studies and sharing his skills of bonsai growing. Mr Tiberi has been a committee member of the Penrith Valley Seniors Computing Club, and was vice-president of Wow FM. This recognition is well deserved and his service to our community is to be congratulated.

Mr Paul Crofts of Cambridge Gardens is a Vietnam veteran who has given nearly three decades of his life to assist other veterans in their unique needs. Mr Crofts was a rifleman in the Vietnam war, serving as part of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment after being conscripted at the age of 20. He spent 314 days in the jungles of Vietnam defending our country, like so many others. Mr Crofts has been remember of the Returned and Services League Penrith sub-branch since 1991. For a large part of that time he was the welfare and pensions officer responsible for arranging funerals of veterans, reflecting on their lives and supporting their families to navigate the difficult realities of losing their loved one. Mr Crofts received the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to veterans and their families. I thank congratulate him for the work he has done in our community.

Of course, reflecting on the incredible men and women in my community who have been recognised with Australia Day awards, I am reminded of how many do their important work day in, day out, year in year out, without fanfare. It reminds me of all the community-minded people in my electorate of Lindsay who are serving in their own way, making our community a better place, creating opportunities for the vulnerable, welcoming and comforting those who need it and building a social network that encourages and supports people. We in Lindsay are lucky to have so many great people who give of their time generously and their energy boundlessly to help others. So this year we thank and congratulate Jim Tiberi and Paul Crofts for their well-deserved honour in being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Their service to our community is an inspiration and we are indebted to their efforts over so many years. May they continue to make an impact for many years to come.

Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Order of Australia awards: let us pause for a moment to reflect on some of the people who make our country so great. No doubt most of the 30,000 people who have received the awards since 1975 would have performed their community endeavours without seeking this recognition or any celebration of their efforts. But when the times seem so focused on the challenges and the many issues that confront us around the world, it is important that the rest of Australia know of their extraordinary work. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some examples, some of the recipients who live and work in Brisbane.

Queensland University of Technology Professor Raymond Leslie Frost was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to science and higher education, particularly in the field of vibrational spectroscopy. Professor Frost has also been recognised for mentoring young scientists in the field. For those like me who had no clue what vibrational spectroscopy is, I looked it up: it describes some techniques for analysing molecular composition. As best as I can understand it, Professor Frost shoots strong lasers at things and by measuring the results, he derives clues as to the compounds and the molecules contained in those things—which actually is an incredibly promising field of research when you start reading about it—and Professor Frost's contribution to this important field is very significant.

Another to be awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia was Professor Peter Gray. Professor Gray was recognised for his distinguished service to science in the field of bioengineering and nanotechnology. Professor Peter Gray is an Australian pioneer of biotechnology research and development. In 2003, he became the director of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, and has since overseen the institute going from strength to strength. Professor Gray has been a leading figure in the development of antibodies. He has helped to manufacture an antibody, for instance, against Hendra virus—which I am sorry to say is, unfortunately, named after an otherwise beautiful suburb in Brisbane.

Associate Professor William Brett Emmerson was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to medicine, particularly to psychiatry, medical administration and through his contribution to mental health groups. Associate Professor Emmerson is a psychiatrist and executive director of Metro North Mental Health in Brisbane, one of the largest mental health services in Queensland. He has been managing mental health services now for over 30 years for our community.

Dr John Michael Quinn was also made a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to medicine in the fields of general and vascular surgery and for his contributions to his professional organisations. Dr Quinn is currently a director of vascular surgery at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. He has also been heavily involved in the training of vascular surgeons through RACS, where he has been chairman of the training board in vascular surgery and, of course, an examiner.

Mr Alan Pidgeon, someone I have known for very many years, has been made a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to the community. Amongst many other community organisations and contributions, Mr Pidgeon chairs the Australian Flag Association, which is a voluntary community organisation formed to increase appreciation of the history and the significance of a chief national symbol, the Australian flag. Good on you, Pidg.

Mr Kristian Wale received a Medal for the Order of Australia for his service to youth and the community. Mr Wale is the founder and chief executive officer of Arethusa College, which provides specialist assistance education and vocational courses for disengaged youth, including agricultural and technical training. I have been there to celebrate one of their graduations and they do remarkable and commendable work.

For her service to child safety awareness programs, Kay McGrath has also received a Medal of the Order of Australia. Kay McGrath has been working in the area of child protection for more than four decades, championing for protections in times when the discussion of child abuse and sexual assault was largely taboo.

Bronte Campbell, whom I have previously mentioned in this chamber, also received a Medal of the Order of Australia for her outstanding contribution to swimming and sport, including, of course, her recent Olympic gold. Also in the Australian Olympic spirit, John Ferguson received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his significant contribution to the sport of sailing in our local community. He originally competed in the 1968 Mexico City Games.

And last but not least, Kevin Yearbury, who I have also met around the Brisbane electorate, has received the Australian Public Service Medal for his many years of distinguished service to public life and administration in Queensland. If you ever attend an event in a Queensland stadium, you will appreciate his work. I wish to add my congratulations, and on behalf of the people of Brisbane, to these very, very worthy recipients and to all of the recipients of the Australia Day Honours List.

Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to add my voice in recognition to those wonderful Australians on the 2017 Australia Day Honours List. What a great honour it is to be recognised in this way for service to your community. And what a great service to community these honoured Australians do, indeed, make. Today, I want to make mention of three men in my electorate of Paterson, who were recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia—all from the Port Stephens area.

The first is Colin Edwards of Nelson Bay who was recognised for his service to veterans and their families. Colin is a life member of the Returned and Services League of Australia and has served the Nelson Bay sub-branch since 2001. He was also a director of the Nelson Bay Diggers from 2002 to 2006 and, again, in 2008 and 2009. Since 2006, Mr Edwards has also been a pensions advocate for the Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs. Mr Edwards has been a Justice of the Peace since 2005, was a member of the Rotary Club of Nelson Bay from 2001 to 2013 and a member of Probus since 2013.

Next, Len Graff of Nelson Bay earned his Order of Australia medal for service to sports administration and to the community. His service includes being the treasurer of the Regional Academies of Sport of New South Wales since 2011, and the Western Region Academy of Sport delegate since 2008. Mr Graff was Western Region Academy of Sport director from 1994 to 2004 and has been a life member since 2004. In addition, Mr Graff was a board member of Harness Racing New South Wales from 1994 to 1999 and a Harness Racing New South Wales representative. He was also a member of the New South Wales TAB.

Ron Swan of Nelson Bay has been awarded an Order of Australia medal for his service to local government and the community of Port Stephens. Mr Swan was the mayor of Port Stephens from 2006 to 2008, deputy mayor from 2004 to 2006 and a councillor from 1999 to 2008. As part of his service to the community, he founded the Clans on the Coast Celtic Festival in 2008 and his medal also recognises his Port Stephens Celtic Association presidency. Mr Swan has also raised funds for cancer research, the Red Cross, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, Nelson Bay Polyclinic and the Police Citizens Youth Club. Congratulations to Colin Edwards, Len Grath and Ron Swan on these Australia Day honours, and thank you for your service to our community.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise a group of people in my electorate who were on standby on the weekend, during the catastrophic bushfire threat: those people are our incredibly dedicated and courageous firefighters. Miraculously, the Hunter Region was spared , but other parts of the country were not so lucky. My family was driving home from Orange in the firestorm yesterday, and said it looked like nothing they had ever seen. My thoughts and prayers are with those communities who are in harm's way at the moment. Although we were lucky back home this weekend, that was not the case in January, when local firefighters battled three infernos in two weeks very near my home town of Kurri Kurri and, incredibly, managed to protect all but a few outbuildings. Hundreds of Rural Fire Service volunteers, NSW Fire and Rescue crews, and National Parks and Wildlife teams battled blazes, on days when the mercury soared well above 40 and hot winds fanned the flames. My mother and sister were evacuated from their homes in Kurri Kurri to safer ground—my place at Buchanan was their refuge until the danger passed. This was too close for comfort for our community, especially when we learned that these fires, in all likelihood, had been deliberately lit.

I want to personally thank the hardworking and dedicated fire crews and other emergency service personnel who fought those fires, on the ground and from the air, to keep us safe on those fierce, fiery days. That gratitude extends to all of the emergency service personnel who are at raging firefronts as we speak—it is just incredible. I know our community is immensely grateful to you. The weather has been incredibly hot, with records broken—it was 47.8 degrees in some parts of the valley over the weekend. I went to Orange, it was 40 degrees there. I have never seen it so hot, even in a place like Orange—which is normally on the cooler side. But again, my thanks extend to those members of our community.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our Australian honours system consists of a number of orders, decorations and medals, through which this country's sovereign awards its citizens for actions or deeds that benefit our great nation. The Goldstein electorate is excited to celebrate five Order of Australia Medal recipients in the community this Australia Day. Congratulations go to John Knowles OAM for his service to aged-care delivery in Victoria as the managing director of Arcare Aged Care since 1969—and as you are an old friend of mine, John, I want to extend my particular personal congratulations. Congratulations to Michael Lawrence OAM for his service to education, to youth, and to the community for work as president and committee member of The King David School and as a board member of Temple Beth Israel synagogue—a synagogue I visited only recently—as well as for his involvement with the establishment of the Victorian Union for Progressive Judaism and his work with the 10th Caulfield Scout Group. Thank you for your service, Michael.

Congratulations to Thomas Morris OAM for service to the building and construction industry: for his work as national president and committee member of the Australian Institute of Building, and as president and committee member of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Building, as board member of the Master Builders Association of Victoria, Adjunct Professor of Property and Project Management at RMIT, as chairman and member of St Martin's, Beaumaris Uniting Church Council, and as president and vice-president of the Probus Club of Bayside. Thomas: thank you for your service. Congratulations also to Timothy Smith OAM for service to public administration, and for service to maritime history preservation for work as executive director of Heritage Victoria, as well as his ongoing contributions to the working group on HMAS Submarine AE2 as a maritime archaeologist, including as vice-president and secretary of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology. Finally, congratulations to Ken Wilson OAM for his service to people who are homeless, and for his service to the community in his work as president of the Matthew Talbot Fitzroy Soup Van and Night Leader at Margaret Oates Collingwood Soup Van, and for his work with the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria—we are so appreciative of your service.

The Goldstein electorate is also excited to celebrate awards of Member (AM) in the general division of the Order of Australia. I particularly want to acknowledge:    Kevin Bailey for his significant service to Australia-Timor Leste relations, to philanthropic organisations, to the financial planning sector, and to the community; John Burdett for significant service to community health, through executive roles with medical research institutes, and for service to the financial services sector; Steven Knott for significant service to the resources and energy industries, and for service to the advancement of women and to industrial relations; and Campbell Rose for significant service to sports administration, to infrastructure and transport development, and to the community of the great state of Victoria.

However, as the federal member for Goldstein, I want to extend particular congratulations to a previous member for Goldstein: to the Hon. Dr David Kemp for his eminent service to the Parliament of Australia, notably in the areas of employment, education and training, and youth affairs, and for his service to the environment, to institutional reform and public policy development, as well as to the community. As the Member for Goldstein from 1990 to 2004, David consistently provided all of this and more for our community. When he retired from parliament, he did not just rest on his laurels but went about working hard on the history of the Liberal Party, particularly honouring of the enduring legacy of Sir Robert Menzies, our greatest ever Prime Minister. He also served as the president of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party, bringing together people to advance the good cause of Liberalism and our values, not just so that we can prosecute them here in this parliament but also in the Victorian state parliament as well. And more importantly, so that those values can live in the hearts and minds of Australians all across this country—because freedom is only ever one generation away from extinguishment. In his community service and at every point, David has made sure that he stands up for those values and works with people to advance the good cause of Liberalism. Working with young people as the chairman of Scotch College—no matter where there is an opportunity, he has sought to serve. And today we thank him for his incredibly tireless work and service—not just to his community and not just to the great state of Victoria but, more importantly, to this glorious Commonwealth.

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

In 1975, Gough Whitlam announced the Order of Australia 'for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or meritorious service.' In replacing the British honours system, the Order of Australia did two things. They ensured that honours would be based on decisions of Australians, not those of the British, and they ensured that they would be made by Government House, not by parliamentarians. And, with an exception or two, that system has endured in the decades since.

I want to acknowledge those who were honoured in this year's awards in the Canberra and Queanbeyan area: Martin Parkinson, for his services to Treasury and then, after a brief pause, to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; Larry Sitsky, for his services to the arts as a composer and pianist; Alastair Swayn, for services to architecture; Mark Webber, for services to motor sport; Dick Woolcott, one of our great Australian diplomats; Stephen Bradshaw, for services to vascular surgery; Kimberley Brennan, for services to rowing; Hugh Dove, for services to agricultural science; ophthalmologist, Iain Dunlop; lawyer, John Garrisson; community health activist and intellectual leader, Michael Moore; charity worker, James Service; David Ian Stanton, for services to public administration; and, in the military division, Mark Holmes, Rupert Hoskin, Simon Tuckerman, Antony Forestier, Craig Meighan and Scott Winchester.

Those recognised in the OAM division were: pharmacist, Gabrielle Cooper; doctor, Mirza Datoo; for services to the community, Donald Gruber; for service to table tennis, Glenys Joliffe; for service to sport, Kathleen Kelly and Scott Reardon; for services to community health, Marion McConnell; for services to education, William Maiden; for services to aged persons, Jeanette Morris; for services to the community through mental health support, Anne Pratt; for services to victims of crime, Frances rose; for services to veterans and their families, Peter Ryan and David Sinclair; for services to the performing arts, William Stephens; for services to the communities of Queanbeyan and Canberra, Brian Walshe; and for meritorious performance of duty in the field of naval mine warfare command and leadership, Steven Reid.

As we recognised these great Australian achievers, it is also always important that we have in mind those that we might have forgotten. I note that, while the recipient rate for women this Australia Day rose to 34.7 per cent, up from 30.3 per cent in 2016, and the female nomination rate increased from 31.3 per cent to 32.9 per cent, women are still underrepresented by a significant degree in Australian honours. As honourable members will note from the fact that the nomination rate is lower than the recipient rate, once a woman is nominated, she has a better chance of receiving an award than does a man. So the problem lies, to a large extent, in the nomination process.

I know Government House is well aware of this issue, but it can be too challenging for many people to nominate someone for an honour. They may not have the requisite papers in front of them. They may simply not have the time to devote to it. Professional organisations have become expert in ensuring that their past serving members are recognised. But those who toil in a soup kitchen for three decades may not be so lucky. We need to do more to recognise traditionally feminised work, done by the quiet achievers and the community organisations as well as the traditionally male work, such as leading large organisations. We also need to do more to track recipient rates among the overseas born, people with disabilities and Indigenous Australians, because we have to stay true to that great Whitlam legacy of 1975; that of ensuring that our Australian honours system is uniquely ours and uniquely representative and ensures that it recognises everyone who is worthy of such an honour.

Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is not often that we get a chance to put on parliamentary record the outstanding efforts of great individuals in our community. Today I have that opportunity to showcase five amazing individuals. Firstly, Robyn Florance, who lives in Bomaderry, and is a dedicated and focussed local historian. She has now been awarded the OAM for her service to community history and heritage preservation. Robyn is a well-known local history writer and committee member of the Shoalhaven Historical Society and Nowra Museum from 1987 to 2015, serving as president from 1996 to 2005.

Her work for the Shoalhaven City Council Heritage Study between 1995 and 1998 and the Kiama Municipal Council, Kiama Heritage Study Review in 2000 reflect her love and dedication to history. Robyn also coordinated the Centenary Commemoration of Gallipoli and the 2015-2016 Waratah March, which in this simple one line does not do justice to the inspiring work she did to help the re-enactment come into being with local interest and shops fronts decorated and all joining into the taste of history on the day.

Raymond Vincent, a gentle and generous Coolangatta resident and local volunteer, was awarded the OAM for his service to the community with a multitude of organisations, including Berry Apex and the Shellharbour tennis club. Raymond was the fundraising coordinator for the construction of the Shoalhaven Heads Apex Cottage for Kids, SHACK, Foundation, which is a respite accommodation space for families of chronically ill or disabled children. Raymond is currently the chairperson and has been since 1991. Ray has been able to volunteer his building services in a number of other community projects, often in a quiet and unannounced manner.

Then we have the dynamic duo, Bruce and Barbara Smith, a husband and wife team from Moruya, both gaining an OAM for their service to the community in the Eurobodalla region. They volunteer in many organisations, including the Country Women's Association and St Vincent De Paul in Moruya. Barbara is a volunteer teacher at Braidwood Central School as well as a tuckshop volunteer at Moruya Public School and Moruya High School. Barbara is an active member in the New South Wales Rural Fire Service—and hopefully she does not have to come into action in these times—including being captain of the Catering Brigade and Call-Out Officer for the Moruya Brigade. Barbara's volunteering includes the Moruya Show Society and day care at Moruya Hospital.

Bruce is an active member of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, and has been since 1996. He has been captain until 2015. His other volunteering includes the Mogo Hot Fire Training Centre and as a new trainee mentor and driver with the vintage Blitz 1942 fire truck. He has been a member since 1961 and has also volunteered with the SES in the past. Bruce also has a string of organisational recognition medals for his dedicated service.

John Bennett, now also the recipient of an OAM, has been a dedicated and generous worker in the community, especially the Nowra Show Society. However, John has taken his skills and dedication well beyond the local area, taking his energy to the Royal Agricultural Show in Sydney where he has been a popular and well-respected ring master, but he has also taken young agriculturalists to developing nations to help show them basic agronomy skills, how to care for animals in a different way, talk about the way they get their crops growing and generally assist in the increased levels of productivity in regional areas in these nations. Now John is harnessing the energy of others when addressing issues that he encounters at such places as the Commonwealth Agricultural Conference in Singapore in October, where the coming famine and global food security as the planet heads towards 10 billion people in 2050 is seen as a very, very big issue.

Finally, Joanna Gash has been awarded an AM for her service to the Shoalhaven. On the website her list of achievements is impressive and includes federal member for Gilmore from 1996 to 2013. She is my predecessor and current mentor. These listings—shadow parliamentary secretary for tourism, government whip, member, Speaker's panel, Mayor of the City of Shoalhaven, councillor since 2012 and previous councillor on the Wingecarribee Shire Council—do not truly reflect the extent of her service to her community. In her early days as a tourism officer in the Wingecarribee, she develop training modules and connections for New South Wales tourism that still exist today. Joanna has been a part of serving the community since the 1980s and continues still. One incident that comes to mind is that, as a volunteer, she used to drive a busload of kidney dialysis patients to Wollongong for their treatment and helped agitate and advocate for local services to be delivered in the local hospital. She has been the advocate in the parliament to keep HMAS Albatross based in Nowra when it was almost moved to Queensland. Joanna has been a fierce campaigner for local projects to be delivered and her greatest achievement was the delivery of Main Road 92. She is rarely recognised in a public manner for her tireless efforts for the community. Now it is official with the award of an AM, Member of the Order of Australia—more rare than an OAM, but absolutely deserved.

Tim Hammond (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also pay tribute to the Australia Day Award recipients already mentioned by previous members of this place and acknowledge their tremendous and tireless work throughout communities all over the country. A bit closer to home, in my electorate in the federal seat of Perth, I am pleased to say there were six winners of Order of Australia honours: one member in the General Division of the Order of Australia and five medals of the Order of Australia in the General Division. I will briefly set them out.

Firstly, Christopher Pye of Mount Lawley was made a member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for his significant service to the tourism and hospitality industry in Western Australia and also to the community. Paul Clarke, also of Mount Lawley, received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to international humanitarian healing programs and also the optical profession. Jennifer Davis of Mount Hawthorn was acknowledged for her services to performing arts in Western Australia. Wayne Gardiner RFD of Inglewood was acknowledged for his service to military history and to veterans and their families. Vaughan Harding of Inglewood received a medal for services to aged-care organisations. And last, but certainly not least, Colin Philippson of Embleton was acknowledged for service to the community and also to motor racing.

Time sadly does not permit me to speak at length about all of these recipients, but I have written to them all to convey my congratulations to them personally. But the following examples are demonstrative of the sheer quantum of actual service rendered, which is belied by the too-brief citation. Take Mr Christopher Pye, for example. As well as running his own law firm—to keep his hand in, he says—he is the CEO of Hospitality Group, a hotel and motel company, and is a director in his family's chain of cinemas, Ace Cinemas. Members and friends from Perth and the metropolitan area will know that Ace Cinemas is one of Perth's most well-known independent cinema chains. Mr Pye has done much to support the children's charity Variety as well. He is deputy chair of the Tourism Council of WA and he chairs the regional tourism organisation, Australia's Golden Outback.

Ms Jennifer Davis was quite rightly given an award for services to performing arts, but this citation does not do justice to what she is achieving in the community through theatre. Her 30-year career working in the industry has focused on youth and seniors' theatre, bringing generations together to tell Western Australian stories. Her oral history programs gather stories from our senior citizens and memorialise them in theatre. She has used the arts to do reminiscence work with dementia sufferers and has been appointed WA's Ambassador for Positive Ageing.

Mr Colin Philippson has been acknowledged for services to motor racing, but he was also a Justice of the Peace for 38 years, spending literally thousands of hours helping the community through the justice system. He also served in the Royal Australian Navy for 20 years, including as a medic during the Vietnam War. But his award for services to motor racing is also fascinating, Mr Deputy Speaker Mitchell. I know it is a subject quite close to your heart.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've got my attention now!

Tim Hammond (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Philippson was the inaugural president of the Perth TQ Car Club and, utilising his military medical experience, also ran a medical centre at the Wanneroo raceway in the 1970s, setting up a dedicated ambulance service for the track, making sure that the users of that famous raceway in my home town, as well as those who attended to watch the races, were kept safe from harm's way.

I pay tribute to these individuals and all the local Australia Day Award recipients in Perth and around the country and I thank them for what they do to make our community richer and more vibrant.

Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am extremely proud to stand here today to formally congratulate four of my constituents, who are recipients of the 2017 Australia Day honours, plus one young man who was born and raised in Grey but has made a national headline since moving away. I also congratulate a community leader who has been a great contributor to the Indigenous community.

On Australia Day each year, we as a nation officially honour those who have made a significant contribution to our community. It is the Aussie way of saying, 'Thank you.' We recognise people for what they are doing and tell them we appreciate it.

In Australia's regional communities, people who are awarded Australia Day honours are very often cornerstones of rural life who have been recognised for their tireless work and dedication. Our honours system recognises Australians from all walks of life who have made a difference to their nation, their region and their community. From contributions to community, business and the arts, to health, research and sport, each and every person who received an award this year deserves our utmost gratitude and respect. I congratulate all the winners, particularly those from Grey, each striving to make their regional communities a better place to live.

In particular, I congratulate Sheryl Lewis, of Yunta, who was awarded an Ambulance Service Medal, ASM for her dedication and volunteer service in her community. She has been an ambulance volunteer in the mid-north region of South Australia since 1991, initially in Yunta then Jamestown and then back to Yunta, where she is currently a volunteer team leader. She provides a crucial service in what is a resource-poor environment. Her dedication, leadership and commitment has a significant impact on the region. In a tiny place like Yunta, the ambulance drivers are the front line. The ambulance drivers are the medical service, for all intents and purposes. She assists in the setting up and running of the flying doctor clinics in Yunta, and follows up local patients with routine checks and health monitoring.

Duncan Johnstone, of Port Augusta, has also been awarded an ASM. Over 46 years, Duncan has been with the St John Ambulance Service and the South Australia Ambulance Service, first as a cadet, before starting his professional career in 1985. During those years, he moved into the leadership positions of station officer and clinical team leader. Duncan is an invaluable member of the Port Augusta ambulance service.

Ian Hatcher, of Moonta Bay, has been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia for his significant contribution to lawn bowls. Ian has been a hard and tireless worker, dedicating many years to lawn bowls in a number of capacities.

Rosemary Stern, of Tiddy Widdy Beach, was named a Member of the Order of Australia for services to hockey. Rosemary has dedicated many years to the sport as a tournament director, administrator and official.

Jan Ferguson, an Outback Communities Authority board member, who resides part time in Beltana, received a Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to the Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory. Jan is also an enthusiastic supporter of preserving the heritage of Beltana.

Lastly, I come to a young man who has leapt to international prominence quite recently. Swimming sensation Kyle Chalmers was born and raised in Port Lincoln, but has since moved to Adelaide to follow his sport. He was recognised with an Order of Australia Medal for his services to sport. Kyle became a household name at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where he won the gold medal in the premier event, the 100-metre freestyle, the first Australian to do so since Michael Wenden in 1968. Well done to Kyle.

I met Kyle just recently, along with his parents, whom I have known for a long time. I will say of Kyle: if he swum like a stone and sank like a brick, he would still be a son that any parent would be extremely proud of. He is extremely humble, well-spoken and well-considered. He would be a success no matter what he was doing. In this particular case, Kyle is the No. 1 swimmer in the world in the premier event. Well done to all his coaches and his schools, and, particularly, well done to his parents for raising such a well-rounded young man.

Well done to all of those people for being recognised with the prestigious honour of Australia Day awards. I also commend all the volunteers in my electorate, who work hard to make their communities a better place. Without these volunteers regional communities would be poorer places, and I am proud of every one of them.

David Feeney (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Berowra for bringing forward this motion and offering us all an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the extraordinary members of our community who were recognised on Australia Day in the honours list.

In an age of cynicism, it can sometimes be easy to forget the thousands of people out there working every day to make our country a better place. The Australia Day Honours List offers an opportunity to not only recognise extraordinary service but also set a standard, to inspire us all to do better and to be better.

Our local Medal of the Order of Australia recipient for 2017 was Dorothy Reading. Dorothy was recognised with this prestigious award for her many years of service to cancer prevention programs such as Quit, PapScreen Victoria and BreastScreen Victoria. Her long-term and ongoing dedication is an inspiration to all those who know her. Despite all her commitments, she always has time to volunteer. She is tireless and offers advice and support to those who need it. I am very proud to know Dorothy. She is a true local community activist and a true comrade.

This year four, Batman locals were appointed as Officers of the Order of Australia for their contributions and outstanding service to the community. They are Professor Ian Johnston, Professor David Laurence Vaux, Mr Ahmed Fahour and Mr Roland Elias Jabbour. Their contributions range across work in engineering, medicine, industry and multiculturalism.

Professor Johnston was recognised for his distinguished service to engineering as an academic, researcher, practitioner and consultant, particularly in the fields of structural foundation engineering and geothermal energy. Professor Vaux has provided dedicated service to medicine in the field of biomedical cancer research, to higher education as an academic and mentor, and to professional integrity and ethics. Mr Roland Elias Jabbour has provided significant contributions to Australian industry and, indeed, more broadly to Australian-Arab relations.

Finally, Ms Helen Norma Evans was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for her incredible work in and service to global health as an advocate for the improved treatment of infectious diseases in underprivileged populations, particularly for women and children. Her work has reached well beyond our community, beyond the borders of our nation, to change the lives of others across the globe.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate those in my local community who were awarded Darebin Australia Day awards. These awards recognise outstanding talent and extraordinary contribution to the local community.

Citizen of the Year was awarded to Rossella D'Arienzo. Rossella has been a dedicated volunteer at St Gabriel's Primary School for 17 years, helping students struggling with English to enjoy their time at school and to reach and achieve their potential. In a highly diverse, multicultural electorate, such as my electorate of Batman, it is people like Rossella, committed to helping and welcoming migrants, that make it the best place to live. Young Citizen of the Year was Lucy Grage-Perry, for her work with Parkside Netball Club, while Millbrooke Calisthenics Club was named community club of the year. Congratulation to the recipients of the Order of Australia and the Darebin Australia Day awards. Thank you.

Thank you also to all those in the community who volunteer, support, organise, advocate, educate and work tirelessly, often without recognition, for the betterment of our community and our nation. They are the backbone of our community; they are the backbone of every community; and we are grateful.

Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Compassion, dedication, courage, kindness, civility and service: these are the words that I believe describe the values of recipients of honours under the Order of Australia awarded recently to so many people. They are the true Australian values that have made our nation the best in the world and fostered our great culture of mateship and volunteerism.

Today I congratulate all those who were awarded honours in the Order of Australia, our nation's most prestigious means of recognising capable and selfless citizens. In particular I would like to congratulate those honours recipients who I represent in Boothby. The motion today notes the array of fields that honours recipients may have contributed to, and I think it speaks to the calibre of my community that we cover the majority of those fields, with service in science, education, sport and community service.

In the fields of science and education, I congratulate Emeritus Professor John Bowie AM for his significant contribution to our understanding of mass spectrometry and for passing that knowledge on to others. Professor Bowie was made a member of the Order of Australia for this service. Professor Bowie has held many positions at the University of Adelaide, including dean of the Faculty of Sciences, and has served as an emeritus professor of chemistry since 2012. Published in many international journals, Professor Bowie has also received a number of awards, most recently receiving the Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry Medal in 2010.

Contributing to community sport is Mr Phillip Davis OAM, who has supported the Adelaide and Suburban Cricket Association, of which he has been president since 1989. Mr Davis has also served as president of the Mitchell Park Cricket Club—which is right near my electorate office—and played himself from 1977 until 1993.

For service to veterans and their families, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mr Walter Beale OAM—better known to us locally as Wally—of the Mitcham RAAF Association for his work to support veterans and their families. Few can truly understand the trials for veterans and their loved ones once they have returned home from active service. Mr Beale served as a committee member from 1988 until 2015, and he has also been involved in the Brown Hill Creek Probus Club as president, vice-president and editor of their newsletter. He has also served as a justice of the peace for 33 years.

The Reverend Neale Michael RFD OAM received his honour for extensive work in the Uniting Church of Australia and the community generally. Reverend Michael served as a reserve chaplain in the Australian Air Force for 15 years, as well as in many other roles, including for Lifeline Australia and for other Uniting Church bodies. On behalf of all those who Reverend Michael has helped over the years, I wish to thank him and congratulate him on his service.

Mr Matthew Linn OAM received his award for service to the community through refugee support organisations. He has been the president of the Australian Refugee Association between 2002 and 2015 and, prior to that, their secretary; He has also been a board member since 1989. He is the chair of the Retired Engineers Group, South Australia Division of Engineers Australia and is also an active member of the Uniting Church.

Mr Ian Steel OAM received his award for service to children through social welfare programs. He was the founder of KickStart for Kids, a significant program in South Australia which has been running since 2009 and is a volunteer based organisation that provides breakfast, lunch, mentoring and vacation programs for disadvantaged and at-risk children in 300 schools, with some 500 volunteers.

I would also like to recognise Dr Jennifer Gardner OAM who has made a wonderful contribution to Urrbrae House and the Waite Arboretum since 1986. Her award was for service to conservation and the environment and, by chance, I ran into one of her dedicated volunteers during my listening post at the Mitcham shopping centre on Saturday morning, who told me that Dr Gardner is actually retiring this year from Adelaide university after so many years of dedicated service. She has been the curator of the Waite Arboretum since 1986 and the manager of Urrbrae house and gardens, and she founded the Friends of the Waite Conservation Reserve and also the Friends of the Waite Arboretum—truly a wonderful contribution. I wish her all the very best in her retirement.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to be speaking on this motion today, not only as a recipient of the Order of Australia but also as a member of the executive committee of the Order of Australia Association, Northern Territory Branch, but, most importantly, as a proud Territorian—someone who is very proud to acknowledge those wonderful Territorians who have recently been awarded.

They include Emeritus Professor MaryAnn Bin-Sallik AO, for distinguished service to tertiary education; Allan McGill AM, for significant service to local government in the Northern Territory and to sport and the Tiwi Bombers in particular; Ann Sheldon AM, for service to the community, particularly through Indigenous employment; Constance Lynne Spencer AM for her work for the environment and in research in the Northern Territory, an incredibly important contribution; Mr Michael Foley OAM for service to our community in the Territory; and Dr Albert Foreman OAM, for service to medicine, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Other awards in the recent lot of Australia Day awards went to Superintendent Charles Robert Farmer and Senior Aboriginal Community Police Officer Betty Herbert, who each received an Australian Police Medal. Mark Spain received an award for his service to the fire services of the Territory. Keith Hutton received an Emergency Services Medal. Captain Lomas received a Conspicuous Service Medal, a military medal.

I have left one name out, and that is because I want to make particular mention of him: our Administrator of the Northern Territory, His Honour the Honourable John Hardy. I would like to congratulate the selection panel for the Order of Australia on the brilliant decision to upgrade his Order of Australia award from OAM to AO; it is much deserved. For those who do not know what an administrator is, it is the Territory's equivalent of a governor. I was very pleased to personally congratulate John Hardy on his award at the Chinese New Year dinner on the weekend.

At that same event, I caught up with one of my colleagues from the Order of Australia Association of the NT, Dominic Fracaro, who has been a very generous man in the Territory over a number of years. It was great to catch up with Dom. Also on our executive committee are Wendy James, OAM, and Nora Lewis, AM. I want to particularly thank our chairman, Mr Tom Lewis, OAM, a naval officer and military historian. I thank Tom for his assistance in the event we are putting together here in Parliament House this Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. I also want to acknowledge the ever reliable and untiring Michael Martin, OAM, our secretary treasurer, and thank him for his support.

We have written to all the NT members of the order who have recently been given their awards to invite them to become a part of the association. I think it is worth commenting on some of the things the association does. Firstly, I thank them for their support to take this story of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin to the nation here in Parliament House on Thursday. I also want to acknowledge our grassroots work where we take kids from disadvantaged schools out and give them an experience in the bush over a weekend. They are great events. We also mentor some of the scholarship winners so that they can have a life-changing study experience at the Charles Darwin University. These are just a couple of the things that the Order of Australia Association NT branch have been doing.

I again want to congratulate not only all those who were awarded in this last round but also all those people in the community who have not been given an award in the Order of Australia but who day in, day out are giving of their time, their heart, their spirit and their generosity. I encourage people: if you see someone in the community that is doing outstanding work, giving of themselves in an amazing way, please nominate them for an award in the Order of Australia. Well done again to all those Territorians; we are proud of you.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to congratulate two people in my community who, through their extraordinary efforts, were recognised and awarded an Order of Australia. Both of these gentlemen were refugees to this country.

I would like to begin by speaking about a good friend of mine, Mr Vincent Kong, OAM. Vincent is a very humble man and a most deserving person. He came to Australia with nothing, but today he is the managing director of one of the largest Asian grocery providers in Australia. In the early 1980s, Vincent and his family set out on a vessel from a small fishing village in war-torn Vietnam fleeing oppression. They battled extreme weather conditions and outran pirates, eventually arriving in Australia, where they were granted asylum. Vincent has never forgotten the kindness that he and his family received from Australia and was determined to give back to this community.

Vincent is now the president of the Australian Chinese Buddhist Society at the Mingyue Lay Temple in Bonnyrigg. He has been responsible for substantial fundraising efforts, including the raising of many, many thousands of dollars for Australians in need. He has used his own resources to help acquire property for various community organisations. Vincent is also involved in fundraising activities for schools, donating significant amounts of food and produce each year. With the Australian Chinese Buddhist Society, he has raised substantial funds for St Vincent's Hospital and the Red Cross. Vincent is never one for shying away from genuine charitable causes. Vincent is devoted to his wife, Elaine, and his three children but has always made time for families in crisis in my community.

That brings me to another friend, Dr Vinh Binh Lieu, OAM, who was recently recognised for his exceptional commitment to the provision of health care services to both the Vietnamese and the broader Australian community. Dr Lieu, together with his wife and a daughter, fled Vietnam in early 1979. In a small fishing vessel, with over 300 people on board, he and his family spent two weeks at sea, risking the elements and outrunning pirates, with very little food and water on board. Eventually making it to Thailand, they were processed by the UNHCR and then, later that year, settled in Australia with nothing except a dream for freedom.

Dr Lieu has been a general practitioner in Bankstown since 1986. His dedication to the community earnt him the Citizen of the Year award in Bankstown in 2012. Dr Lieu is chair of the Bankstown Primary Health Network committee and holds a position on the board of directors for the Sydney South West GP Link. He was formerly a vice president of Vietnamese Community in Australia. Dr Lieu is also the founder and editor of a national bilingual Vietnamese-English medical magazine providing the community with valuable information about issues affecting Australian health care, clinical research and general good health and wellbeing. He also established the Vietnamese-Australian Medical Association, allowing medical practitioners of Vietnamese descent to work together to provide the best quality of health care for patients in our community. Dr Lieu has worked tirelessly to organise a large number of health conferences in our local community, such as a lung cancer seminar for the Cancer Institute New South Wales. Dr Lieu is also passionate about raising funds for communities in need. One example of this is a charity dinner that he organised in January 2011 as part of the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal, where his efforts raised $120,000.

There is so much more I would like to say about Mr Kong and Dr Lieu, with their immense contributions to our community, demonstrating the true value of Australia's multiculturalism. I conclude by acknowledging the many individuals that have come to Australia as refugees, contributing much to our nation. I congratulate the broad range of award recipients who were honoured and who continue to excel and serve our community and our nation with a wide range of skills. It is such examples which make me extremely proud to be working within such a strong, diverse and vibrant community.

Debate adjourned.