Search
Speeches
Now in its 10th year, R U OK Day ? aims to nurture social responsibly and belonging encourages people to meaningfully connect with others, by simply asking RUOK. It’s such a simple message, a simple gesture that costs us nothing, yet when we ask someone if they are OK the difference it can make to a person who is feeling overwhelmed can be life changing.
Coolaroo South Primary School will hold its Annual Writers’ Festival this week. And this year’s Writers’ Festival makes a significant milestone for the school as celebrate ten wonderful years of this creative literary festival and at the same time – and it saddens me to say DS – it will also be their last one.
I spoke in Parliament about recent achievements and services that are important in my electorate of Calwell.
I spoke in Parliament on the waiting times for our elderly Australians to access the Home Care Packages Program. This waitlist hurts elderly Australians, but it is especially hurts the 16,312 Australians in my electorate aged 65 an over.
My tribute to my good friend Mary Day who passed away suddenly from liver cancer. In the rough and tumble of politics, Mary Day was a formidable opponent, very few people crossed Mary and escaped unscathed. But she was a loyal friend and comrade.
Congratulations to Kevin O’Callaghan, President of The Craigieburn War Memorial & Remembrance Committee Inc, for all his hard work in launching the book and DVD ‘Craigieburn Remembers: The History of the Establishment and Dedication of the Craigieburn War Memorial ANZAC Park’ last month.
I spoke in parliament in recognition of the women of Calwell, and of the wider Australian community, who work in undervalued traditional female dominated industries such as early learning, aged care, health and disability care.
It is senseless to talk about job creation and economic settings as a social policy success story, when the impact on real Australian lives varies markedly from region to region. Like so many of this government’s policies, the impact is one of inequity - and a growing divide in our society between those who are doing well, and those who are struggling to retain a basic quality of life and independence.
This Government claims to have created 1,000,000 jobs since they took government in 2013, yet these jobs don’t seem to be finding their way to my electorate. These jobs don’t seem to make their way to the job network providers who are looking for work for the unemployed in Calwell, and these jobs are certainly not making their way to my constituents.
