Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I was in the wonderful suburb of Noble Park in my electorate to meet with representatives of the Queen Elizabeth Centre. The Queen Elizabeth Centre, known by all as the QEC, is a 42-bed public hospital and community service organisation that provides a range of residential and in-home services to families across Victoria, as well as running a specialised education and guidance program so that young Australians can get the best possible start in life. The QEC has a long and distinguished history of service, having been established for many years in Carlton before moving to Noble Park.

I was given a very informative tour of the centre by CEO Athina Georgiou, Manager Karen Monaghan and Community Outreach Officer Megan Leuenberger, as well as some of the hardworking nurses who help to improve the lives of young children and their families who come to the centre. The staff at the QEC are understandably proud of their facility, which has recently undergone an upgrade to improve the accessibility and appearance of the centre.

Sadly, many Australian families face physical, psychological, intellectual or environmental challenges that compromise their ability to nurture and support the health, safety and wellbeing of their young children. It is in situations like this that the QEC steps in to assist. In addition to the residential programs, the QEC offers community-based services that support parents and other carers to learn the skills and to access the services and networks they need to build a strong family.

It is through the dedication of staff like Athina, Karen and Megan, as well as the countless nurses and support workers, that families in the community that might otherwise fall through the cracks are helped to stand up and to succeed. At a time of federal funding cuts to non-government and community support organisations—cuts that have devastated hard-working and essential community organisations in Melbourne's south-east, such as the Dandenong Community Advisory Bureau and the Springvale community advice bureau—it is heartening to see organisations like the QEC continuing to provide such outstanding service to the community. I commend the team at the QEC in Noble Park for all the hard work they do to help young children and their families, and I say that Labor stands with you in our commitment to help the most vulnerable in our communities.