Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Volunteering is one of the greatest bricks in the wall that is the Australian way. As a nation, we stand out above the rest for our willingness to help each other, to positively influence the lives of our neighbours just for the sake of it. That's why I'm honoured to be able to bring stories from volunteers in my community to this building, to give these inspiring individuals the recognition they deserve.

Farzana Ikhlasi is one such amazing person. She donates much of her time to the community centre in the Paralowie R-12 school. I bumped into Farzana when presenting flags to the school community at the centre, while visiting the Wednesday morning playgroup. As well as helping me colour in between the lines, Farzana works tirelessly with migrant families to help them engage and thrive in our community. She also manages Paralowie's toy library, the most important job of all—just ask the children who go there. On top of this, Farzana raises her own two children of primary school age—day in, day out—and still pours time back into her community. To Farzana, and all of the team at Paralowie: thank you for the phenomenal work that you do in our community. It is your efforts, on an individual level, that make our country as great as it is.