Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a fantastic Olympics it has been in the last couple of weeks—our best ever—and the mighty Eden Monaro was front and centre, representing our nation on the world stage in Paris. I want to congratulate our very own Monique Suraci from Queanbeyan for her outstanding achievement in Paris. After narrowly missing selection for Tokyo in 2021 and the Commonwealth Games in 2022, she's achieved her lifelong dream of becoming an Olympian. And she's made history—the first Australian female boxer in the women's 50-kilo category. How cool is that! Her dedication and determination have been inspiring, and she is an absolute knockout.

Another Eden Monaro superstar I would like to give a shout-out to is Sharni Smale from Batlow. She might be claimed by Sydney now, but she was Batlow born and bred, so she's one of ours. She's our longest serving rugby sevens player and a Rio 2016 gold medallist. She did us proud in Paris, with the team really taking it up to the other nations. Fourth place is nothing to shy away from. She's played such a huge role in the growth of the game, and she's said herself that she will continue to champion it from the sidelines as she retires from her international career.

I also want to say massive congratulations to another Eden Monaro legend, Nikki Ayers from Dalmeny. She's off to Paris for the Paralympics to compete in the rowing events, a sport she took up after serious knee injuries and countless surgeries. Nikki said she jumped in the boat and fell out many times but just kept going—amazing resilience and determination. It's inspiring, and we'll all be cheering you on from home.

You can't be what you can't see, which is why I want to thank each of these Olympians for being an outstanding role model to young people across Eden Monaro.

I want to share with you a remarkable story that spans a century—a story of tradition, dedication and commitment to community. Peter 'Butcher' Lindbeck, a name synonymous with Queanbeyan, recently discovered that his beloved Lindbeck's Butchery is turning a hundred this year. Peter thought he had a few more years to go before hitting that mark, but a family reunion revealed the truth. The shop opened its doors in 1924, not 1928, as he had believed. It was started by Peter's uncles, Jim and Tom. The butcher shop has been a fixture in Queanbeyan for generations. Peter joined the family business after school in 1977, taking over from his father, Bill, in 1978. Through thick and thin, Peter and his wife, Ruth, have kept the doors open, navigating the challenges of running a small business with a keen sense of what the town needs, including green sausages every time the Raiders make the finals. For the past 46 years, Peter has not only provided top-quality meats but he has also become a cherished part of the community, a vital thread in the fabric of Queanbeyan. Thank you for your amazing service, and congratulations on this huge milestone.

We know that reliable connectivity is not just a 'nice to have'; it's an absolute necessity in 2024. We need it to run small businesses across Eden-Monaro, we need it to study and work, we need it to keep people up to date during natural disasters and we need it to stay connected to family and friends. That's why it was fantastic to welcome the Regional Telecommunications Review to Braidwood and Cooma in the last couple of weeks. The review is considering what role emerging technologies can play in boosting coverage and reliability. It's also looking at how we can continue to be best prepared for natural disasters, something we've felt deeply across Eden-Monaro. It was an important opportunity for communities in and around Braidwood and Cooma to highlight their experiences and where we need to do more. I want to thank the community for their input in this process; it's input that will help inform how we deliver targeted investments to improve regional telecommunications. It will ensure we build on the positive work that we've achieved to date, including $5.4 million to support new mobile phone base stations at priority locations across Eden-Monaro.

Last week I attended the launch of Tales From Two Cities, a book by Mark Butz. The book contains over 400 page of fascinating history of the Queanbeyan-Canberra relationship across two centuries. It highlights how our border relationship has evolved over time and is now stronger that ever. At the heart of that relationship, as captured by the many stories in that book, is sport. Sport is the centre of our tussles and our strengths. But, regardless of whether you live in Queanbeyan or Canberra, what we can all agree on is that the Green Machine is our team. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be split between two amazing charities doing fantastic work in our region: Treehouse in Queanbeyan and the Ricky Stuart Foundation, both of which have a huge impact in our community. Thank you to everyone involved in researching, writing, funding and printing this incredible piece of history, and a massive thank you to Ian McNamee for the idea that got it kicked off.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 10:52