Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise to speak about two very important community organisations in my electorate. The first is Streetwork, which recently held a supporters' breakfast at Willoughby Uniting Church on 29 June. It was a very well attended event, reflecting the commitment within our community on the North Shore to supporting our young people. Indeed, I look forward to representing the community of Willoughby, as it's amongst the communities that will come into Bradfield once the final redistribution results are announced.

Streetwork is a not-for-profit organisation helping troubled teens across the North Shore. Their important work includes a kickstart mentoring program that seeks to transform the lives and behaviours of vulnerable young people through positive role models and influences. An important aspect of this program is putting the young person in close collaboration with a youth caseworker.

The theme for the breakfast event was the way in which Streetwork engages with young people to assist them to build positive relationships, particularly as they may, in moments of crisis, engage with the police or with juvenile justice. Of course, this building of trust can be complex and is not necessarily easily achieved, but Streetwork does have quite an impressive track record of helping build those ties. There's a constructive discussion of the way in which early intervention can assist in preventing antisocial behaviour. I want to acknowledge the chief executive officer of StreetWork, Helen Banu, OAM and her team for their important work, and the many supporters of StreetWork.

The second community cause I want to speak about is the Special Olympics Kuringgai Chase Fun Run and the Barry Easy Walk, which took place on 16 June in Wahroonga. Special Olympics plays an important role in our northern suburbs by offering people with intellectual disabilities the chance to participate in sporting activities. It has grown significantly since it first began in Australia in 1976. I was delighted to join hundreds of locals to participate in this fun run and walk, which winds through the leafy but troublingly hilly streets of Wahroonga. I chose to participate in the 10-kilometre run, and I want to acknowledge local medical specialist Dr Rod Brooks. He passed me and I passed him a couple of times, and, with a bit of a push, we both produced some of our best times, finishing in just under 53 minutes.

I acknowledge the vision and tireless work of the late Barry Easy OAM, who founded the Kurringgai Chase fun run and walk. This has become an important community organisation on the upper North Shore, and I pay tribute to the many volunteers who make this successful event possible, as well as the Sydney Upper North Shore division of Special Olympics Australia. I thank them all for their contribution, and I congratulate everybody who ran, walked or otherwise participated in this important community event.