Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate one of the Scout groups in my electorate—the Seaford Meadows Scout Group. As with many other Scout groups, the Seaford Meadows Scout Group is a great organisation. It is serviced by a lot of volunteers. It provides great opportunities for young people in our community.

I want today to talk specifically about one project that the Seaford Meadows Scout Group has been involved in. I have had correspondence from Margaret Featherstone, the group leader. She is very passionate and enthusiastic. I want to congratulate her on all of the effort she puts into scouting in South Australia.

The Seaford Meadows Scout Group have embarked on a project to put solar panels on their Scout hall. From their understanding, they will be the first Scout group in Australia—and they will definitely be the first Scout group in South Australia—to do so. This is a very important achievement. There have been grants from the federal government, from the City of Onkaparinga and from the Myer Foundation.

Since putting solar panels on the roof of their Scout hall, the Scout group has saved significant money in electricity costs. In fact, for the quarter before they put the solar panels on their electricity bill was $509. Afterwards they actually got a credit of $733, which they have indicated they will be able to redirect to youth programs.

This is not just, for them, about actually saving money on electricity. The Scout group had a community information session where they invited interested community groups and organisations to come along. They gave some information about how they, too, might make this saving. So they were out in the community talking with other groups about their success story. In addition to this, they have made a real commitment to using the solar panels and energy saving to teach some of the Scouts and the kids about physics and to educate them about the environment. They have turned this into a community education process and a process for the ongoing education of the kids. This is a project well worth commending. It is not just about energy saving; it is not just about improving the environment for the next generation; it is about engaging with the local community, with the kids, to share their good news story. They have put a lot of effort into this. Being the first in South Australia they certainly need to be commended. I would like to congratulate Margaret Featherstone and all her team on making this a reality for the Seaford Meadows Scout Group.

Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. That is a good story.