Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently attended an investiture at Government House in Canberra where 33 proud Australians received their Order of Australia and other awards from Her Excellency the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce. Many of the recipients are from my electorate, including Richard Larter, who received an OAM for his work as a painter. Major General Elizabeth Cosson received an AM in the Military Division, and her award was announced on Australia Day this year. Her citation is one that makes me proud to be an Australian. I had the pleasure of meeting Major General Cosson when I was consulting with Defence, and she is an incredible woman. She has moved on from Defence now—I think she is with the Department of Veterans' Affairs—but she has had an exemplary career in the Australian Army and has driven reform in Defence Support Operations. She has had a difficult task to head reform processes, but Major General Cosson has rightly earned the AM for the way she has gone about this incredibly difficult role.

Others from the ACT area include Mrs Michelle McGrath, who received an OAM. Mrs McGrath is one of those hardworking women who you often find behind non-government organisations, working tirelessly for the good of their community. They work without any fuss or bother and just get on with the job. Mrs McGrath was executive director of Alzheimer's Australia ACT, a position that she held in a voluntary capacity for three years prior to her substantive appointment to that position for a further 10 years. Mrs McGrath is an example of the sort of Australian whose contribution should be celebrated through the Order of Australia. She is part of the fabric of society that we all so much depend upon. She makes a difference to the lives of ordinary Australians through her selfless work in an area that is not necessarily sexy or popular. Ms Helen Maxwell is another Australian who was appropriately recognised at the investiture ceremony recently. I also had the good fortune of working with Helen Maxwell last year when I was judging some paintings by the Advocacy for Inclusion group. We worked on judging those for a series of Christmas cards and posters. Helen Maxwell has volunteered and worked hard in the museum and galleries sector in the Canberra region for years. She was the founding Director of Australian Girls Own Gallery, a position she held for over 10 years. She had her eyes on the big picture as this was a gallery for the exhibition of works from females across the country. Helen Maxwell also received a Medal in the General Division, an OAM, for her enormous contribution to arts in this country.

It is worth remembering that awards under the Order of Australia are not made for merely doing your job. The intent is that they identify Australians who have made a unique contribution to the community at a local, national and international level, who have gone well beyond their paid work.

This brings me to the purpose of raising this issue today. Apart from lauding the achievements of those who did receive those awards at the investiture that day, I wonder how many members and senators actually take the time to organise for people in their electorates to be nominated for an award, particularly Indigenous people and people from multicultural backgrounds who contribute an enormous amount to their communities but who are sometimes not at the front and centre of our minds. Therefore, I encourage my colleagues and those in the Senate, when they return to their electorates, to start thinking about some of these particular and important contributors to our society and to assist in ensuring they are recognised by their country. I encourage them to take a proactive approach to identifying people worthy of these awards because there are plenty out there. We just need to look for them.

One such person recognised in the Queen's Birthday list this year is Dr Naren Chellappah. I love his story. He is a volunteer dental surgeon who spends a few months each year away from his dental practice here in Weston to volunteer as a dentist at his own cost in Laos and India. The citation for his OAM does not do his volunteer work justice. He also regularly visits local nursing homes to offer any support or stimulation he can to the elderly residents. He is a volunteer for Greening Australia from time to time and also routinely participates in other activities such as Clean Up Australia Day. He is very much true to the saying: if you want a job done, ask a busy person. He is an extraordinary man and I thank him for his contribution to the community.

In closing, I urge all members to encourage the nomination of people who are not normally considered or who fall under the radar. That is not to say that those who have been nominated so far are not worthy. They are. But there are plenty at the grassroots community level who need to be recognised for their work. It is easy. People just have to go to the Governor-General's website or the Its An Honour website. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our great contributors are recognised, especially those who are not routinely on the front page of newspapers. (Time expired)