David Moncrieff (Hughes, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Science plays such an important role in our modern world, but it's not an area everyone feels confident to speak about or to explore their curiosity for. That's why I was so proud to open the Gut Feelings exhibition during Science Week at Sutherland Shire's Hazelhurst Arts Centre. Gut Feelings is a community art project supported by the Australian government through Inspiring Australia. It has brought together science and art to explore the connection between the gut, the brain and the trillions of microbes within us that make up our gut microbiome. It does this through a unique medium: knitting and fibre arts. Knitting and fibre arts offer a familiar, accessible way for people to engage with science and feel part of something larger. Hand-stitched donated items were combined to create soft sculptural installations, transforming complex internal systems into approachable, playful and evocative artworks. All of this is to raise awareness of the importance of gut health to mental health and wellbeing and to promote community connection.

I want to acknowledge the contributions of Professor Georgina Hols and the Microbiome Research Centre for bringing the most cutting-edge understanding of the research that has gone into the microbiome to the project, which is now helping those of us outside of the field to better understand it. I also want to thank Rita Pearce, Pat Pillai and my dear friend Mary Hayman for the countless hours of hard work and passion that they put into ensuring that this project was a success and to congratulate them on the incredible work that these efforts have produced. Well done.

As someone from a family of teachers, I know how much amazing work our public schoolteachers do to help our young people reach their full potential. That's why I was so excited to attend Loftus Public School's Public Education Week open day. I was absolutely in awe of the presentations of the students. This year's theme was 'Ignite your potential'. It was a terrific opportunity to see the children across the school come together and highlight their achievements. The assembly showcase demonstrated the talent and the confidence of the students. The students danced to 'Who Let the Frogs Out', which I have not yet been able to get out of my head. They performed with the school bands, and they participated in resilience activities, where the students shared what they were grateful for, which included everything from their family and their friends to McDonald's.

It was beautiful to see so many of the children able to ignite their potential with the support of dedicated teachers and families. The day allowed visitors to learn more about the incredible opportunities offered to students by the school, both directly and through the digital QR trail. I want to acknowledge and thank principal Ms Newell-Courtney, the staff and the parents and families for all their efforts in putting together such a strong and impressive program. Thank you so much to all our public schoolteachers.

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