Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to make a positive contribution, because there are positive things happening in Australia at this time. It is appropriate at the moment that we think about the Anzac centenary and the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program, which, I might say, in my electorate has been undertaken with an enormous amount of enthusiasm. I want to thank the Minister for Veterans Affairs for increasing the amount per electorate from $100,000, as originally proposed, to $125,000. Last week I had the opportunity of inspecting at the Berowra RSL Sub-Branch, outside the community centre, the new memorial, to which we have allocated some $17,000 to put in place a sandstone wall and bronze plaque to commemorate the locals who bravely served overseas in the First World War.

There are other groups in my electorate, including Beecroft Lions, Brooklyn RSL Sub-Branch, Hills District RSL, and schools such as Marion College, Redfield College and Pacific Hills that are all undertaking projects to build commemorative monuments that will last for centuries to come. This is a positive, good-news story. I believe in this year, our Anzac centenary, projects such as the Local Grants Program are helping to increase the awareness and participation which Anzac rightly deserves. (Time expired)