Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In February this year I spoke of those who labour to make my community and our neighbourhood a better place—those who are often unrecognised for the work they do and the sacrifices that they make. It is perplexing for many residents of my area that, when they read stories about their neighbourhood, they often find it unrecognisable. The area they read about is often not the one that they feel they are living in. On that occasion in February I spoke about telling the stories of these people who make a difference in our neighbourhood—telling a positive story.

A positive story is a rare commodity in our Australian media. Whilst most of our media outlets are comfortable to continue in their current format, many people believe it needs to change. In particular, many young members of the community in my area have told me that the constant negativity in the press has become too much. Young Australians—in fact, all Australians—need to hear positive stories that will allow them to overcome their own insecurities and inspire them to reach their full potential. The constant negativity showcased by the media only puts more and more pressure on our younger generation; it does not take it away.

This year I have sought to change this dynamic by creating a positive-stories campaign called 'Our Stories—52 Stories in 52 Weeks' to highlight the positive contribution people have made in my electorate over recent times. This initiative was launched in February this year. So far I have had the opportunity to tell the 14 inspirational stories of Erica Maliki, who has been president of the Cairns Road Recreation Reserve Committee of Management; Jeffrey Ware, who is actively involved in assisting the Doveton Riding for the Disabled program; Stephen Hallett, who established the Friends of Frog Hollow; Leanne Petrides, who helped established the Cranbourne Information and Support Service; Ron Webb, who has helped to establish the Caribbean Markets in Scoresby; Juan Carlos Loyola, who established Doveton Special Soccer School; Anne Atkin, who founded the Painting with Parkinson's Group; Mladen Krsman, who volunteers at the Hampton Park Community Renewal Group; Murray MacGregor, who has for countless years volunteered in our local community; John Laughton, a Korean War veteran who has been associated with the Dandenong RSL Sub Branch for more than 60 years; Chris Drysdale, who is President of the Berwick District Woodworkers Club; Ben Phillips, who achieved the fastest-ever time by a blind participant in the Melbourne Oxfam Trail Walk by finishing in 28 hours and 59 minutes; Pam and Elvis D'sa, who both volunteer at the South Eastern Christian Centre; and Mairi-Anne and Tess MacCartney, who are community campaigners for people suffering from diabetes.

Each of these stories deserves our attention and recognition. These are stories that our younger generation should hear. These stories should be promoted. They are moving stories that motivate us all to reach our full potential. I want to take this opportunity to highlight a couple of these stories of people working for the common good in my community.

I want to talk in particular about Erica Maliki. Erica is someone who continues to fight passionately for the betterment of our community. She has been president of the Cairns Road Recreation Reserve Committee of Management, she is the former president of the committee of the Hampton Park Junior Football Club and she is one of the community representatives on the Hampton Park Community Renewal project. Erica was the main organiser of the Walk for Hallam Road, which was attended by over 500 people, to raise awareness about this dangerous intersection. The successful march resulted in a government commitment to the duplication of Hallam Road, something that we will all benefit from. Erica has also been a great contributor to the Hampton Park Australia Day Event run by the Hampton Park Progress Association. Incredibly, Erica achieves all of these things as the proud mother of six children. Erica is phenomenal in terms of the way she can balance her work and family life and in her capacity to contribute to the community. We are lucky to have a person of her strength, energy and determination to advocate for those in the Hampton Park area.

Another great story is that of Mladen Krsman, a 21-year-old TAFE student who is studying for a Diploma of Justice. Mladen joined the Hampton Park Community Renewal Group in April 2011 and has helped at numerous community events and activities, including Clean Up Australia Day, the Art Mural, the Community Garden and the Roads Committee. Mladen is a member of the Hampton Park Progress Association, the Hampton Park Networking Group and the Hampton Park Road Safety Working Group and is also helping by volunteering at the Casey Community Flood Support Group. Mladen came to Australia as a refugee when he was seven years old. He went to school at Coral Park Primary School and Hampton Park Secondary College and was on the school committee in his final year.

These are all very positive stories about people making a difference in our community. Whilst we can read the unceasing negativity in the media day by day, these are the people we need to highlight. They are role models who make a change for the better and contribute to our community.