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

The Australian Honours Lists and the Order of Australia awards allow us to pause for a moment to reflect on some of the people who make Australia a better place. No doubt most of the 30,000-odd people who have received the award since 1975 would have performed their community endeavours without seeking this recognition or any celebration of their efforts. But when these times seem so focused on the challenges and the many issues that confront us around the world, I think it is important that the rest of Australia knows about their extraordinary work.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some examples of the recipients of these awards who live and work in Brisbane. Firstly, famous Brisbane designer Keri Craig-Lee for her service to fashion, clothing, business and to the community. Keri is an iconic Brisbane business woman, strongly linked to the Brisbane retail scene which I have worked so closely with at the National Retail Association. Most Brisbane locals would know how the Keri Craig Emporium, named after her, is one of Brisbane's hidden treasures for shopping, design and high tea.

Secondly, I congratulate: Warrant Officer Class One Gillian Kennedy for her meritorious devotion to duty in the development, training and mentoring of the Army's current and future junior leaders; Ms Mary Kelly for her significant service to education, to policy development and advocacy in schools, and to student and staff equity in the university sector; Lieutenant Colonel Michael Edstein for his exceptional service to the Australian Defence Force in vector borne disease research; Air Commodore Michael Burnett for his service as a legal officer and as the Deputy Judge Advocate-General of the Air Force; Dr Terence Coyne for service to medicine as a neurosurgeon; David Robinson for significant service to medicine as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and to the primary industry sector, particularly to agriculture; Paul Dellit for service to the performing arts in Queensland; John Scholl for his service to international communities through humanitarian support; and last but not least, Kos Sclavos—an industry association man like me—for his significant and longstanding service to pharmacy, retail and community health.

The honours help define, encourage and reinforce national aspirations, ideals and standards. They help us identify role models that we can all aspire to emulate. On behalf of the people of Brisbane, I wish to add my congratulations to these very worthy recipients and to all of the recipients of the Honours Lists.