Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every year more than 27,000 babies are born premature in Australia, and 17 November marked World Prematurity Day. This is a terrific initiative raising awareness of the challenges of preterm birth. I'd like to highlight an exceptional member of the Upper Lachlan community in my electorate who, on 17 November, ran 110 kilometres to raise funds for the Australian charity Running for Premature Babies. Stuart McWilliam ran from his farm near Laggan, between Taralga and Crookwell, all the way to Goulburn and home again. That's a 110 kilometre round trip. What a Herculean effort for a great cause.

Stuart has experienced firsthand the challenges that parents and families face when confronted with the arrival of a premature child. Stuart's own son, Nix, was born at just 30 weeks and had to fight for survival. Running for Premature Babies raises funds for life-saving neonatal equipment and research, which helped save Nix's life. He is five years old now. His dad is an ongoing supporter of this wonderful cause and wants to ensure that other families are as lucky as him. Stuart ran 19 hours straight and raised over $13,000. He was backed by a wonderful community. His fundraising efforts will offer other premature babies a better chance of survival.