Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to offer my most sincere and heartfelt congratulations to this year's Australia Day Honours recipients. Those recognised by these honours are Australians from all across our great nation who have selflessly dedicated their time in pursuit of a better Australia. Coming from all walks of life, they are exemplary in leadership, commitment and resolve—three virtues animating the Australian spirit. These Australians have taken to heart the words of the old proverb which exalts us to be the change that we want to see in the world.

As all members of this chamber well know, I am an immensely proud Victorian and, as is the case year-in, year-out, Victorians are once again very well represented in this round of Australia Day Honours. I wish to wholeheartedly congratulate Victorian recipients of the recognitions of their achievement. Each and every one is so richly deserved. More specifically, I'd like to single out my congratulations and thank the following Victorian recipients who have so significantly contributed to and strengthened the fabric of our society. To the recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia, or the OAM, in the general division, my sincere congratulations go to Mr Robert Bath of Ballarat for his service to the community of Ballarat through arts, sport and education; Mr Colin Campbell of Rutherglen for his service to the wine-making industry for more than 25 years; Mrs Carmel Clemson of Gisborne for her multifaceted service to the community of the Macedon Ranges; Mr Ian Glanville of Bendigo for service to the print and broadcast media and also to the community of Bendigo; Mrs Jean Hamilton of Longwood for service to the community of Longwood for more than 40 years; the Reverend Father Edward Harte of Bendigo for service to the Catholic Church of Australian and the wider Victorian community; Mrs Margaret Lonsdale of Keilore East for service to the sport of dance in Australia and the representation of our nation in the sport; Mrs Marilyn McQualter of Whittlesea for her service to the community of Whittlesea through her continued volunteerism; Mr John Mildren of Ballarat for his service to the Parliament of Australia and also to the community of Ballarat; Mr John Mitchell of Corryong for his service to the community as a philanthropist and also to the health sector; Ms Susan Natoli of Box Hill for her service to the sport of canoeing and to youth; Mr Graeme Pearce of Mandurang for his service to the community, particularly through the CFA; Mrs Margaret Saker of Benalla for her service to the community of Narooma; Mr Peter Stokie of Bright for his service to the conservation of the Victorian malleefowl; Mr John Taylor of Myrtleford for his service to the Myrtleford community through education and also history; Mr Walter Van Nieuwkuyk of Burwood for his service to the performing arts; Mr Russell Walker of Gisborne for his service to the community of Victoria more broadly in a number of quite varied roles; and Ms Frances Walsh of Rutherglen for her service to local government and the community of the Indigo shire.

I also have a couple of particular friends that I would like to mention—personal friends—including Ms Patricia Vejby, Trish, for her service to her local community. Trish has held a number of board positions, including Commissioner to the board of the Legal Aid Commission of Victoria and Director of the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices board. She's very proudly from the western suburbs of Melbourne and has made an extraordinary contribution to Victorian public life. Trish, thank you very much for your extraordinary work. I'd also like to recognise a very good friend of mine, Ms Felicity Frederico, for service to her local community. I've known Felicity for the better part of a decade now and through that time she's been a passionate advocate for women's sport, particularly women's football. She was the mayor of Bayside Council and, while she was there, she launched a program called the Grass Ceiling campaign to address the lack of female change rooms within the municipality's sporting facilities. This resulted in a series of redevelopments through the Bayside Council's sport clubs to provide women's change rooms. Felicity truly has been a tireless advocate of female participation in sport. She's been effective even in motivating me to be more active, which is no small feat. She got me into stand-up paddleboarding, something I will never forgive her for! I assure you, Mr Acting Deputy President McGrath, it is, in fact, a real sport. Nonetheless, I'd like to congratulate Felicity and all the OAM recipients. Congratulations again to all of these recipients.

I also want to congratulate those that have been awarded membership of the Order of Australia for their outstanding and selfless public service. To the recipients of the Member of the Order of Australia, or the AM, in the general division—there are too many to name all of them individually, but I want to make mention of just a very special few. They are the Hon. William Robert Baxter of Rutherglen for his significant service to the people of the Parliament of Victoria; Ms Mary Therese Draper of Alphington for her significant service to community health as a consumer advocate through her contributions to delivery standards as well as governance; Adjunct Professor Ian Maxwell Dunn of North Fitzroy for his significant services to the law, legal standards, education and specialist accreditation, and as a practitioner in the areas of negotiation and dispute resolution; Dr Gillian Margaret Gale of Box Hill North for her significant service as an educator to children who are blind or have low vision; Mr Gary William Morgan AFSM of Alfredton for his significant service to the community through emergency response organisations; the Hon. Professor Howard Tomaz Nathan QC of Bendigo for his significant service to the law and to the judiciary through the Supreme Court of Victoria; Mr John Wilson Payne of Surrey Hills for significant service to art conservation and restoration as a leading practitioner, scholar, teacher and mentor; and Professor David George Wood of Tawonga for his significant service to chemical engineering as a researcher, mentor and academic. Congratulations to all those AM recipients.

I would now like to recognise Professor Caroline Finch of Soldiers Hill. On this Australia Day, Professor Finch was welcomed as an Officer, AO, of the General Division of the Order of Australia. Professor Finch was recognised for her distinguished service to sports medicine, particularly in the area of injury prevention, as an educator, researcher and author and for her promotion of improved health in athletes and all those who exercise.

I would also like to extend my warmest, personal congratulations to those awarded the Companionship of the Order of Australia, General Division. This is an extraordinary honour, recognising our most outstanding citizens and the extraordinary work they do. Professor Rhys Jones of Blackburn North received the award for eminent services to mechanical and aerospace engineering. Professor Jones has been the head of the Royal Australian Air Force at the Centre of Expertise in Structural Mechanics for more than 22 years. Professor David William Kissane of Surrey Hills received the award for his eminent services to psychiatry. Professor Kissane has been a leader and trailblazer in the palliative medicine sector in Australia and served as foundation chair for palliative medicine while also holding the position of director of palliative care at the Centre for Palliative Care at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne.

I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate those most recent recipients of military crosses, medals and commendations, many of whom cannot be publicly named due to their ongoing operational commitments.

There is, finally, one more person who I would like to mention, and that is Mr Stuart Wood QC. I have known Stuart a very, very long time—since we were at university. He received an AM this year for significant service to the legal profession, particularly in the area of industrial relations. Stuart is one of this country's leading workplace relations QCs. He is gifted with an extraordinarily fine legal mind and a terrific sense of humour to boot. I have known Stuart for such a long time. He was slightly more successful in his classes at university than was I. Stuart, congratulations on your award. It is much deserved.

There are two special times of the year in which the government and the community can express our sincere gratitude to those exemplary citizens who represent the very, very best of the Australian spirit. It is an absolute honour to be able to stand here this evening to name and honour these dedicated and conscientious Victorians. I thank the chamber for its indulgence.