Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to one of Australia's smallest shires, which just happens to be located in my electorate. To say that the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council is punching above its weight is an understatement. Wujal Wujal is about 20 square kilometres in size and is home to about 400 people. Last week, I had the privilege of witnessing this outstanding shire take home a major gong from the 2018 local government excellence awards. The council was named the national winner of the Achieving Big Things in Small Communities category for its emergency management community forum project. This is a fantastic achievement for Wujal Wujal, in recognition of their tireless work to make their community a better and safer place for residents. It is truly an outstanding achievement and everyone involved should be extremely proud. I'd like to make special mention of the Wujal Wujal mayor, Desmond Tayley, and CEO, Eileen Deemal-Hall, for their leadership, passion and unwavering dedication to their community. Eileen is truly an inspirational woman for many people in her community and in the wider field. Eileen is a proud Indigenous woman. She is one of those people who, when she says she's going to do something, you can be absolutely sure and consider it done. Through leaders like Desmond and Eileen in Indigenous communities we can really start closing the gap instead of just talking about it.