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

One of the great advantages and privileges we have in our job is to see what ordinary everyday Australians do for each other in volunteering. It is the 10th anniversary of the United Nations International Year of Volunteers and I, along with lots of colleagues in this House, have been privileged to present national volunteer awards recently. Over five million volunteers in Australia give around 730 million hours of volunteer time valued at something like $15 billion, though they never measure it like that, and in Tasmania there are over 130,000 volunteers in 5,000 not-for-profit organisations and more. In my electorate I was really pleased to be able to acknowledge some of the volunteers that do this fantastic work. For example, June Baker has done tremendous work for Strathdevon aged care; Josephine Weeks and Judy Ling for the tremendous service that they have given to the Central Coast municipality and community; Julia Butler Ross for the Central North Wildlife Care and Rescue Organisation; Kaye Cameron for tireless work for the Burnie Eisteddfod; Diane and Mick Davis for their tremendous work on the Penguin Visitor Information Centre; Linda Munday for Zodiac Gymnastics Club; Gwen Pulford for the CWA Devonport and the fantastic work she has done through that organisation; Pamela Hutton for her tremendous work for Riding for the Disabled; and Sarina Laidler and Greg Morris, for instance, on King Island and their fantastic work there. I want to congratulate those people and all those other volunteers in my electorate who give of themselves and indeed create the fabric of our community.

Sarina on King Island is employed as a health promotion officer and has done much work beyond her paid employment. She is an active member of the multipurpose advisory committee for the local hospital, a volunteer for the Tasmanian Ambulance Service for many years and an inaugural member and creator of the Phoenix Community House management committee, which has also auspiced the creation of the King Island Men's Club. She is also a very active member of the local Lions Club, as well as giving in every other way, even in the Parents and Friends Association on King Island. She has a fellow member on King Island, Greg Morris, who has given tireless work to the King Island Regional Development Organisation, the King Island Volunteer Ambulance Service, the King Island Natural Resource Management Group, the Uniting Church parish council, the King Island shipping group, the King Island Chamber of Commerce, the SES and even the King Island Telecommunications Working Party. (Time expired)

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.