Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In this place we focus on delivering opportunity for all Australians, but we know we cannot do this work in isolation. We work in partnership with hundreds of vital institutions across our nation, and among those are our universities. Our universities are charged with not only furthering the education of Australians but ensuring their graduates are the best equipped to meet the challenges of our advancing world.

In my electorate of Forde, there has been no greater champion for this cause than the head of Griffith University's Logan campus, Lesley Chenoweth. Lesley Chenoweth AO is the Pro Vice Chancellor of the university and a foundation fellow of the Australian College of Social Work. Lesley has spent the past seven years as campus head and another 11 years before that working hard to promote and increase participation in higher education in the Logan community, which is one of Australia's most culturally diverse. She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015 for her work.

This month, Professor Chenoweth is officially retiring from her role at the university. I want to take this opportunity to thank Lesley for her valuable and irreplaceable work and contribution to our community, because they have assisted many students in difficult circumstances to become far more effective and better in their community than they otherwise would have been.