Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

GH (—) (): I'd like to shine a light on the tireless work of some volunteers in my community.

Coming from a large Hills family myself, I know firsthand the importance of the work of our volunteer firefighters. Indeed, my brother is one. Year in, year out, our local volunteer firies have their work cut out for them. Perth's south-eastern suburbs are prone to bushfire. It feels like only yesterday that my parents' place, where I grew up, was damaged in the 2011 Kelmscott bushfires, with many homes around them completely destroyed.

Recently, I had the opportunity to announce an agreement between the Albanese government and the City of Armadale to construct the new Roleystone Karragullen Volunteer Bushfire Brigade fire station. This $2 million funding will make a dramatic difference to how our volunteer bushfire brigade operates, and it will be able to withstand unpredictable weather and fire events. Once completed, the station will feature battery storage and solar panels, store hundreds of litres of water and even have a special communications office that can be stood up in the event of a fire in our region. The new station will be turned around quickly, ready for the bushfire season just around the corner, because we don't have time to waste. I'm so proud that the Albanese government has been able to work with the City of Armadale to make sure that our community has access to the facilities we need and deserve to mitigate against bushfire and to defend ourselves when we need to.

I also want to officially congratulate in this place local legend and Kelmscott Bulldogs Football Club vice president, Rob Turner. In this 125th year of the club, Rob has been announced as this year's Rio Tinto WA Football Volunteer of the Year Disability & Inclusion Ambassador. There were many worthy competitors for this award and it was a great surprise to Rob. Rob founded the Kelmscott Bulldogs inaugural all-abilities team in 2021 to open up opportunities for people living with disability. Starting out with seven players, thanks to Rob's advocacy and dedication, and that of the other inclusion volunteers, the team now has 40 players and made the finals this year.

Rob is one of many dedicated volunteers in our community, and he has previously received a Burt volunteer award. This weekend, we'll be celebrating the efforts of the hardworking volunteers in our community with the seventh annual Burt Volunteer Awards. In Burt, we're lucky to be surrounded by so many selfless individuals who work tirelessly to make our community a fantastic place to live. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community, and they should be celebrated more. The volunteer awards are an opportunity to thank our dedicated volunteers, to celebrate their work and to encourage more people to volunteer. This year, there are five volunteer categories: environment, sport, disability services, community services, multicultural and youth. I can't wait to celebrate our dedicated volunteers this weekend at our awards day.