Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I wish to acknowledge and congratulate Act For Kids, doing great work in Ipswich in my electorate of Blair. Act For Kids is a charity providing integrated life-changing therapy to kids who have suffered abuse and neglect, or who are at risk of harm.

The charity facilitates these services across its 26 centres based right across the country, with over 400 staff from Adelaide to Cape York. The organisation recently celebrated five years of operation in Ipswich, and last Friday I was delighted to join my friend in the organisation's chair, David Hamill, as well as CEO, Dr Neil Carrington, at the celebratory morning tea, along with corporate sponsors and also the Queensland Minister for Child Safety, Di Farmer and local state MPs, Charis Mullen and Jen Howard.

The Ipswich service has developed an important program and partnership with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, known as the Walk Tall program. The program provides counselling and emotional support to children and adolescents who have either experienced or who are at risk of experiencing physical, emotional or sexual harm.

It's crucial to support organisations and programs fighting the scourge of domestic and family violence. Act For Kids has expanded its work to facilitate special workshops to empower kids in safe houses in remote Aboriginal communities. I congratulate them and I urge the Darling Downs-West Moreton PHN to explore funding options to fund this important organisation.