Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning I would like to report to the parliament on an absolutely fabulous 2007-08 year for the Cootharinga Society of North Queensland, a wonderful society that has been operating for 57 years and delivers disability services to the people of the north. We all move about our electorates and we see the need for these services, so it is just wonderful to have a service provider in the electorate that gives outstanding professional service. And they provide that outstanding professional service through a great board of directors; a great staff, under CEO Brendan Walsh; the volunteers that work in this particular service; and, last but not least, those who use the service and the families of those who use the service.

The year 2007-08 was a year of changes for Cootharinga and a year of achievements of which I think Cootharinga can be mightily proud. The efforts of all of the staff at Cootharinga have resulted in three Queensland Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Workforce Development: encouraging a learning culture, sector recognition and effective leadership by a board of management. That is a great outcome and I think that it underlines how good an organisation this is.

This year has also seen many successes in the services that Cootharinga have previously operated, including their supported accommodation service, the community-linking service, the support service, the rehabilitation technology service, their therapy service and support to families through their respite service. All of the staff are crucial in providing these services and they can be justifiably proud of their achievements. I pay tribute to them and I want the parliament to understand how good they are.

I think that we all know as members of parliament how important and how necessary a respite service is. Cootharinga’s respite service focuses on providing flexible respite options to families who have a family member with a disability. It is a wonderful service. The provision of respite assists families to maintain their living arrangements while also providing opportunities to build social relationships and move towards independence. Since the service commenced in February 2007 they have received over 130 referrals and currently they provide respite to more than 60 families within the Townsville region, with 30 families on the general respite waiting list. Many of the families have received one-off respite during school holiday periods, providing much needed time out. There is also the community-linking service and the therapy service. Congratulations, Cootharinga.