Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about an organisation in my electorate, and indeed throughout Australia, which is carrying out truly valuable work in supporting the educational needs of disadvantaged children. The VIEW Club works in partnership with the Smith Family to assist disadvantaged children and their families through sponsorship and support. VIEW stands for Voice, Interests and Education of Women. Their purpose is to empower and support women while raising awareness of the work of the Smith Family.

The club was formed in 1960 by the Smith Family to provide a service for women and the community. For the past 55 years they have focused on helping women to embrace new opportunities and aspire to top levels in business, politics and the community. The VIEW Club has more than 18,000 members in 350 clubs throughout Australia. These members volunteer more than 50,000 hours of their time annually to help support young people not only through sponsorships and fundraising but also by reading with children, helping with school work, donating school stationary packs, making library bags and mentoring disadvantaged students.

Currently, the VIEW Club sponsors more than 1,100 Learning for Life students nationally. They help to provide these young people with educational support to ensure they have the best opportunity to break the cycle of disadvantage. Learning for Life assists children from disadvantaged backgrounds through their entire education, from primary school through to high school and university. Their sponsors provide financial support for books, uniforms and excursions, and they are also given access to a range of learning support and mentoring activities. The program also assists the families of these children by not only educating them on how to build supportive learning environments but also by giving them opportunities to access education themselves.

Stephanie Heath, a former staff member and constituent of mine, was a beneficiary of the Smith Family program. She was master of ceremonies at last year's inaugural VIEW Club International Women's Day event. Her strong work ethic and commitment to her goals are an example of the success by VIEW Club in empowering young women to achieve. This year, I am delighted to be chairing the panel at the VIEW Club's second International Women's Day event on Saturday. This is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge the work of VIEW while also hearing from inspiring women in our community.

Groups like the VIEW Club often go unnoticed in our community, and this is why it is so important to highlight the work that they do. Their volunteers work tirelessly to promote and support the work of the Smith Family and give children from disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to achieve their dreams. I want to thank the VIEW Club and acknowledge all the work they do in supporting these children to ensure they reach their full potential.