Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about the successful Coffee Shop Inreach Program that Team Hasluck rolled out across the Christmas break and which is continuing throughout my first term. The goal is simple: to reach out to as many people as possible who cannot make it to my office. Hasluck has a disproportionately high number of seniors, retirees and people with a disability. Couple this with young mums who are at home and would have to catch two buses to reach my electoral office and you have a silent majority of people whose voices are not heard. When I won the seat, I pledged to listen and be accessible to as many people as possible. This is absolutely essential if I am to truly represent all of the people of this diverse electorate.

I launched the Coffee Shop Inreach Program at Baileys Coffee and Cream in Gosnells and the coffee shop inside Midland Gate Shopping Centre before Christmas. Since then I have been able to meet and speak with older Australians, young mothers and concerned residents about a range of issues. Topics range from fixing local roads, law and order and protecting our borders—issues which are common—through to religious persecution of Christians overseas and the need to fund aged care more appropriately. Some people want to express their views about government, others to compliment it. I have also learned much about the views of the people of Hasluck through this process and what is really needed from government. Access to a fair share of funding and the provision of parks and recreation areas, public transport, services for disabled people and their carers and aged-care services are required. People at the coffee shop certainly are not backward in expressing their views and concerns, and I welcome this. It is what I am there for. All of the opinions and thoughts are valid but often are not heard. Yes, online communication is a powerful tool and one that I am using to reach the younger generation of people in Hasluck. This works for many people but not for all.

I would like to thank the proprietors of the Colony Coffee House of Midland, the R & J Cafe in Southern River, the Friendship Cafe in Midland, the Nearest Cafe in Thornlie and Bailey's Coffee and Cream in Gosnells for allowing me to host these events at their cafes. They too are concerned with local issues and by allowing me to use their facilities are providing a community service to their local area. The year 2010 was an amazing year in politics, but one thing has resonated long after the election race was won and lost: the electorate of Australia want more accountability from their members. They want to see and hear from their elected representatives more than ever. That is what I have always done in my professional life and I intend to continue dedicating my energies to doing this throughout my term as the member for Hasluck. It enables me to reach those who find my office unreachable.