Renee Coffey (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In Griffith, going back to school can bring a sense of routine back to the house. I know it has for my household. But for some families it also brings a quiet stress, because the book list is long, the uniforms need replacing, the shoes have been outgrown and the basics can add up fast. That's why I want to speak today about a small idea from a young person in my Griffith community that has made a real difference. That amazing young person is seven-year-old Zoe. Zoe noticed that some children start the school year without the things many of us take for granted—a pencil case with pencils, a new notebook, glue sticks, rulers; the everyday tools that help kids feel ready to learn. And that gave Zoe an idea. She rolled into her kitchen with roller skates on, and she told her mummy that she wanted to collect supplies for kids who might not have everything they need. With that, Zoe started Sharing for Kids, a little idea from a big heart. Zoe went to different places in our community. She set up donation boxes and asked people to give what they could, and our community responded overwhelmingly. We received so many donations at our office. It absolutely filled our office with boxes of pencil cases, lunchboxes and school supplies. We had families collect these from our Stones Corner office, and we also dropped these off to many of our local schools, including the Seville Road State School, where Zara and Mia, the school leaders there, gratefully accepted these on behalf of students in their community.

Sometimes the biggest ideas come from the smallest people, and that is exactly what our community knows, thanks to people like little Zoe. It's exactly stories like these that make me so proud and so honoured to represent the Griffith community. When a seven-year-old takes the lead on helping our neighbours, it tells us something important about the values being lived out in our suburbs and in our streets, of compassion, of empathy and of connectedness. It shows that our kids are growing up with a sense of responsibility for one another, and that is something worth celebrating. That's what I see again and again in Griffith, in our school P&Cs, our local volunteers, our neighbourhood and community groups and the simple way people look after one another when times get tough. In my role, I get to hear so many stories, but the ones that stay with me are the ones that show the heart of our electorate. Zoe's story and Sharing for Kids is one of them. To everyone in Griffith who donated, who shared and who backed this idea, thank you. You have helped children start the year with confidence, and you have shown, in the most practical way, what it means to be a part of our wonderful community in Griffith.

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