Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

I said earlier that governments cannot do it alone and that we need the support of the community sector and business. Common Ground is one such development which has received a great deal of support from the corporate sector. Grocon has played a huge role and invested in the program. It has been absolutely crucial. I am told that Grocon, by donating resources and constructing the site at cost, has enabled the cost of the project to be significantly reduced, by more than $10 million. On behalf of the government, I congratulate Grocon and thank Daniel Grollo for his and his company’s generosity. I understand that Grocon has also committed to doing the same work for the Brisbane and Sydney Common Ground sites. It is also worth mentioning that Grocon recently won the Mercy Foundation’s Social Justice Award—the first time the award has gone to the private sector. I know that there were many other partners in this initiative, including the Rotary Club of Melbourne, the John T Reid Charitable Trusts, HomeGround Services and Yarra Community Housing. (Time expired)