Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just recently in this building we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Meals on Wheels. I was very proud to co-sponsor the event with my parliamentary colleague and co-chair of Parliamentary Friends of Meals on Wheels, the member for Parkes. The Speaker and many members of parliament attended the event to honour Meals on Wheels. We all have Meals on Wheels in our electorates. We know how hard they work and how important they are to our community, and it was great to commemorate this significant milestone.

Meals on Wheels eagerly helps and assists people. In many cases, when they deliver someone a meal it is the only contact that person will have that day or for the next couple of days. They do great work in our community and have been doing that great work for many, many years, obviously. Rooted in a tradition of compassion and dedication, Meals on Wheels was founded by Doris Taylor MBE over 70 years ago, and countless individual volunteers around the country have fuelled its mission over the decades. The team's collective vision and passion have guided and shaped the organisation's impactful presence in the lives of many.

A couple of weeks ago I met with the South Australian Meals on Wheels team in my electorate and spoke to them about their efforts and what they're doing in my neck of the woods. They're doing very important work, and they want to do more work through diversifying as well. Most importantly, they provide a service to people who for whatever reason can't provide a meal for themselves. As I said, sometimes it's that person's only contact, so it's not just a meal that's being provided but also the contact with another human being. Often they're the first port of call if something has gone wrong and someone doesn't answer the door.

We have all gone out with Meals on Wheels in our electorates—I can see members here nodding—and seen firsthand the great work that they do. Recently, I went out with the Meals on Wheels team in my former electorate of Hindmarsh, which covers the CBD. We did a morning of rounds, and I saw how cheerful people were to get the knock on their door, have a chat and get their meal for that day. Spending the day with the team reminded me what a difference this service makes to people's lives. Many constituents I've spoken to in the past are either beneficiaries of Meals on Wheels or volunteers with Meals on Wheels. They provide such a great service. I look forward to supporting Meals on Wheels, as does everyone here, in South Australia in the future. (Time expired)