Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to draw attention to the work of two amazing community organisations in Wentworth: Caretakers Cottage and Bondi Beach Cottage. When I visited Caretakers Cottage, I was truly moved by the dedication of their staff, including Laurie and Sharon, to supporting some of our community's most vulnerable young people and families. Caretakers provides an invaluable service to young people facing homelessness, including through crisis and transitional accommodation, education support and health services. I also had the pleasure of visiting Bondi Beach Cottage, which provides counselling, child care and support services to those who've experienced domestic and family violence. A special thank you to their staff, including Susan, Eleanor and Sandra, for continuing to provide such vital services in an environment of insecure funding. The success of these organisations relies on our collective support, and I urge the government to increase funding for both youth homelessness and family violence services, as, by supporting organisations like these, we can give young people a chance to thrive and survivors the strength to heal.

Last Friday I also had the honour of being a judge at the grand final of the 2023 international 'Mikolot: voices of the future' public speaking competition held at Moriah College. I was inspired by the subject of 'humility in leadership'—a subject that I think many of us in this place could reflect on. I want to give my special congratulations to Sarah, Elijah and Meira, who took out first, second and third places, respectively. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in these rooms.