Zhi Soon (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As members of this place, we all have the pleasure of attending end-of-year presentations at local schools. It has been one of my favourite things to do since being elected to this parliament. In December, I was able to make it to end-of-year presentations and graduation events at 27 schools across my electorate of Banks, from Panania in the west to Blakehurst in the east. It was fantastic to celebrate the achievements of so many students who excelled in 2025. I was so pleased to sponsor awards at each school, as well as a number of schools whose ceremonies I was unable to attend, to recognise things like student leadership and high achievement. Congratulations to all the students who were recognised for their successes. Congratulations for all the work that you put in.

Our local schools are the incubators of the transformational power of education. Thanks to the Albanese Labor government's Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, every public school in Australia will finally be fully funded. In my electorate, the federal government will be increasing the share of funding it provides to every single public school, making sure local students have everything they need to succeed.

On Australia Day I had the privilege of attending a number of local celebrations. The citizenship ceremonies held by the Georges River and Canterbury Bankstown councils were great celebrations of national pride. Seeing the joy on the faces of hundreds of new Australians from all over the world who have decided to make our nation their home was fantastic.

I was also able to spend some time at the Picnic Point Bowling Club's family day. The club is a great local institution that has branched out with clubs playing darts, golf and also organised fishing. The club put a great celebration on for Australia Day, including things like thong-throwing and many other activities for families across the area. Congratulations to the whole team, particularly the club president Bill Brown, who has done an amazing job leading that club.

I finished off the day with a visit to Canterbury-Bankstown Council's Australia Day party in the park at Padstow. This gave a platform for local artists and included a variety of family activities, culminating in an amazing fireworks display. I take this opportunity to say congratulations to Mayor Bilal El-Hayek and the whole team at Canterbury-Bankstown Council for putting together a fantastic celebration. It was one where many families enjoyed some fascinating food, some singing and dancing, and the appearance of Dorothy the Dinosaur. It was great to be able to celebrate Australia Day with so many people in our community. Congratulations to Canterbury-Bankstown Council.

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