Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to congratulate Chifley's own Antonio Chiappetta, who last week won the 2019 Telstra ARIA Music Teacher of the Year award. Well done! The award recognises music teachers for their passion and hard work in providing kids with a better education and the chance to play and enjoy music.

It is fantastic to have teachers like Antonio—teachers who grew up in Chifley and now teach in the electorate. Antonio has been the driving force behind St Andrews' music program for over 15 years, including Creative Arts Night—or CAN, as it's known—which started out as a simple event in the school hall and has now grown into a large outdoor music festival, with close to 2,000 in attendance. Antonio's students have told stories of how he would give up his recess and lunchbreaks to provide extra coaching. He would spend countless hours after school to help keep the music room open for kids who may not have instruments of their own so they could practice. It is absolutely fitting that Antonio's dedication to music education and inspiring his students has been recognised in this way.

Music teachers like Antonio help to keep the Australian music industry alive through supporting the next generation of performing artists. I think many across our community would be proud of Antonio's achievement but would be exceptionally grateful for his dedication to helping young people in our area achieve their ambitions. Well done, Antonio, and thank you to ARIA for recognising his efforts.