Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great day in this place when you get to recognise the great contributions that are made in other places by great people like Cate Sydes. It is especially terrific that Cate could be here today. Thank you so much for coming. She is joined by Marist180 board member John Warhurst. Thank you for joining us today, John.

Throughout Cate's professional career, spanning over 36 years, she has dedicated herself to improving the wellbeing of those in need. Cate's impact in Western Sydney, as the CEO of Marist180, where she worked for over a decade, has led to transformative change. I have had the pleasure of working with Cate since day one of becoming a member of parliament, and I can personally vouch for the important role that she has played in our area and at Marist180. She built the organisation to a leading non-profit agency that now helps nearly 2,000 of the most disadvantaged young people in our area every year.

When the Sydney Business Park opened at Marsden Park, I asked management to partner with her organisation to help train and prepare young people so they could take advantage of the 17,000 new jobs that the park would bring to the region. Cate and Marist180 were one of the most important parts of a team that worked with the business park to identify young people who could be trained to take on roles, making sure local business development was benefiting local workers. The program was a huge success—IKEA, for example, strongly supported the program. Nearly three-quarters of the 300 staff are local hires, but 44 of them were hired through Cate's program. Unfortunately we did not get as much support as we would have liked out of the government, but certainly we will always continue to get support for that program.

Cate helped Marist180 to expand through grassroots programs, business development and fundraising, resulting in a six-fold increase in the agency's operations. Highlights during Cate's time as CEO include the Aboriginal trainee support worker program, which has since established Marist180 as one of the largest employers and trainers of Aboriginal young people in Western Sydney. She established a skills development centre that is providing training programs to upskill marginalised young people and helping them to become independent and job ready. In conjunction with the Blacktown Police Local Area Command, Cate established Com4Unity, which helps vulnerable and homeless young people who gather around Blacktown station and the CBD there.

As of January this year, Cate has assumed the role of CEO for Loreto Ministries, focusing on education specifically for women and children.

Cate, I just want to thank you for all your hard work and dedication to improving the lives of so many young people in our area, and, importantly, for believing in their potential and backing that up with great help.