Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

It is great to raise a couple of important local issues today in the Senate. I was grateful to have the chance to attend the graduation ceremony recently for the first cohort of Project Booyah participants. This is run by the Canberra PCYC. Project Booyah has been funded by the coalition government to help young people build a better life for themselves. Many of the people who were part of Project Booyah did not finish school and have had trouble finding work or getting their drivers licence. We have invested nearly half a million dollars into Project Booyah, and it is definitely money well spent. Young people who went through this program have more confidence, have increased life skills and have their drivers licences, which help them find jobs. Many are now also enrolled in various training courses through the local CIT.

Canberra PCYC have been doing great work for nearly 60 years, engaging with young people to give them assistance and training to help them deal with the challenges that life throws up. It is the commitment of Cheryl O'Donnell, Canberra PCYC Executive Manager, and her team, including the Project Booyah youth mentors who work closely with participants, that makes this program such a great success. This program was part of the Safer Streets initiative and not only makes our community safer but makes young people better equipped to reach their potential and make a great contribution to our city and to our nation.

I would also like to note that presiding over this ceremony was former ACT MLA Jayson Hinder, who some time later tragically passed away in a road accident overseas. He did great work with the PCYC and served the people of Canberra well as a MLA. My sincere condolences go to his family, his friends and all of his loved ones.

On another issue, I recently had the opportunity to visit the Belconnen men's shed and hear about the great work they are doing to support men in our local community. The men's shed allows men to come together and share their skills for the benefit of the community, and, of course, for each other. Inside the Belconnen men's shed you will find men making furniture, restoring bikes for a local school, fixing lawnmowers or making a cubby house for a local children's charity. You will also find tea bags, coffee cups and an area where the men can sit and talk. Men's shed allows them to be real, honest and open about where they are in life's journey, and, by doing that, get support and encouragement. I would like to thank Gordon Cooper and the men from the Belconnen men's shed for sharing their stories with me. I would like to thank them for all they do in our community, and the way they support each other and contribute to their community.

Last month I had my first meeting this year of the Youth Advisory Council. I formed my Youth Advisory Council in 2014 to better inform me of the biggest issues facing young people in Canberra. Students from a range of different schools in the ACT have already taken part and learnt valuable skills to develop their future career and study plans. Council appointments are for one year and provide opportunities for engagement and roundtable discussions. Each year I seek applications for new members of the council to take it forward. I have a number of outstanding young people who are contributing this year. I look forward to working with these outstanding young Canberrans throughout the year. I would like to thank the outgoing members of the council for their engagement in its work and their dedication to causes important to young people in Canberra.

Over the past few months I have been meeting with the local community to hear about particularly dangerous roads in the ACT, and as chair of the ACT blackspot committee, I work to allocate funding to roads which are identified by the community as being in need of urgent upgrade. Last year through the program the ACT received $2.4 million to fix roads and intersections in Canberra that see a lot of accidents. Most of us would have seen the benefits of this funding as we drive down the Tuggeranong Parkway and see the animal fencing and the new lighting. This was just one of a number of projects in 2016. This year we have new projects being undertaken in Lyneham, Isabella Plains, Braddon, Greenway, Kingston, Tuggeranong and Forrest. On average, fixing these areas reduced crashes by around 30 per cent, so I am delighted to be a part of a government that can make sure these much needed upgrades occur. I say to members of the community that we are always interested in their feedback so that we can get in front of black spots before, perhaps, we see those serious accidents, particularly those fatal accidents.

As Canberra paused to remember the sacrifices made by our service personnel on Anzac Day, it was fantastic to see such strong support for this year's Pollie Pedal. Each year members of parliament go on this bike tour to raise funds for a specific cause. I have had the opportunity to be a part of it over the past couple of years. This year the partner was Soldier On, who work with current and former service men and women to help them through their reintegration to civilian life. Their work focuses on both physical and mental health and supports those who have served with Army, Navy, Air Force, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the AFP and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Since it began in 1998, Pollie Pedal has raised over $5 million for organisations including the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Ronald McDonald House, Youth Insearch, the Paralympic Games and Carers Australia. This year over $400,000 was raised for Soldier On—a wonderful organisation. Well done to all of those who made the donations, and also those who participated in the Pollie Pedal and put this money towards such good cause.