Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Local councils play a vital role in supporting local communities across Australia. I want to congratulate the newly elected mayor of the City of Rockingham, Lorna Buchan. Lorna has served as the city's deputy mayor for the last two years and has been a councillor for the Comet Bay Ward in Secret Harbour since 2019. I also want to congratulate the three newly elected councillors to the City of Rockingham: Dylan Mbano, in Baldivis; Ryan Robertson, in the Rockingham/Safety Bay Ward; and David Rudman, also in the Comet Bay Ward. I particularly want to congratulate Robert Schmidt, who was re-elected with a majority of the primary vote in the Comet Bay Ward, and has also been elected the deputy mayor of Rockingham. Congratulations to you all.

I want to acknowledge the tireless work of outgoing Rockingham mayor, Deb Hamblin. I thank her for her years of service as councillor, deputy mayor and mayor and for the commitment that she has shown to my home town. I particularly want to commend Deb for her support of Rockingham's role in the AUKUS partnership and the opportunities it will bring to our local community. My best wishes also go to outgoing councillors Caroline Hume and Brett Wormall for their tremendous contributions to our beautiful city.

And in the City of Kwinana to the north, I want to congratulate newly elected councillor Balian Miller. Balian is 18 years old and the youngest councillor ever elected to the City of Kwinana. My sincere congratulations also go to the three re-elected councillors Erin Sergeant, Matthew Rowse and Barry Winmar. Barry was also re-elected as the deputy mayor, and will bring years of important experience to that role. I want to thank the dedication and service of retiring councillor Sue Kearney and wish her all the best.

The City of Kwinana has an unprecedented opportunity for economic growth and development at its doorstep. I look forward to working with the City of Kwinana and Mayor Peter Feasey, and all the councillors, and I hope to continue delivering positive outcomes for the community.

I want to thank all those candidates who stood in the local government elections recently, particularly in Rockingham and Kwinana, but also right across WA. It is an important step, and shows your commitment to the community.

I'm really pleased that the new veterans and families hub in Brand will officially be known as the Goldsworthy Veterans and Families Centre in honour of Lieutenant Commander Leon Goldsworthy, who is Australia's most decorated naval officer of the Second World War. I want to thank Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Anderson, the state President of RSL WA, Stephen Barton, the CEO, and Janine Gardner. They have led the project to find a site for this really important hub. I want to thank the Minister for Veteran's Affairs, Matt Keogh, and his team for their work in delivering the hub. It will provide support for more than 4,000 veterans in Rockingham, as well as veterans and families living across the southern metropolitan region. It's important for Rockingham, it's important for Brand and, of course, it's important to all those vets.

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