Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have always been passionate about ensuring vulnerable people have access to services they need. I understand the importance of community support. In the electorate of Barton, we are lucky to have a strong sense of community in which individuals are always happy to lend a helping hand to their neighbours. Our community is a diverse one and it is also a community which above all values the importance of respecting and supporting others. The Kingsgrove Community Aid Centre in the Barton electorate is an excellent example of this history of community support.

The centre was set up by a coalition of church and community groups and social services agencies and professionals in the 60s. Staffed entirely back then by volunteers, Kingsgrove Community Aid Centre provided health care and social services for the elderly in the local area. In the 1970s, services expanded as volunteers from the Kingsgrove area worked hard to provide support for women and children in the form of support groups and childcare services.

I was privileged to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of the Kingsgrove Community Aid Centre earlier this month to celebrate this occasion with many of my constituents in Barton. This was a fantastic event which really captured the community spirit of the electorate. The celebration was also a great moment to recognise the hard work of those involved in the centre, which now employs a staff of 35 with 50 additional volunteers. Many groups from the local community were there on the day with representatives from schools, church groups and other community organisations, who mingled with the locals and those who take advantage of the services provided by the community centre.

What united these groups was a real sense of pride for community service. It was humbling to see the real dedication of these people to serving others. I was particularly touched by a conversation with an older man who had been involved in Kingsgrove community centre for over 50 years. But certainly the highlight of the day was a presentation by the Walangari group, who performed a traditional Indigenous dance. The wonderful performance from the Walangari dancers highlighted the real diversity represented in the Kingsgrove Community Aid Centre and the people of Barton.

The centre has become a community hub not only far older residents but for young families in new mums. Locals can access services such as senior's daycare program, playgroups for children of the Indigenous community and also mental health support.

The Kingsgrove Community Aid Centre and many other organisations like it play a very important role in Barton. In the electorates all across Australia we have these community centres—you all know what I am talking about.

I would like to thank Anne Farrah Hill and the team of extraordinary volunteers at Kingsgrove community centre. Thank you for your hard work, for your dedication to supporting others and thank you for allowing me to be a part of celebrating this great occasion. Fifty years is a very substantial record for any community organisation. What a fantastic representation of the diverse and robust community of Barton.