Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I had the pleasure of welcoming the shadow Treasurer, the member for Rankin, to the superior side of the Brisbane River to chat and meet with workers at the Nundah Community Enterprise Cooperative on Station Street. Richard and his team at the Nundah co-op do fantastic work in our community, training and employing refugees, immigrants and people living with disability. Their motto is, 'We don't employ people to work; we work to employ people.' Every year the co-op creates more than 11,000 hours of long-term employment for Lilley locals, empowering marginalised northsiders to create a better life for themselves and showing that social and environmental responsibility and financial sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Kirsty, manager of Espresso Train, who has been there for nine years, graciously showed me and the member for Rankin how to make a latte. I would like to thank Nundah local Lauren, who graciously agreed to act as my guinea pig and try my first cup.

We also met Merolyn and her fantastic team of landscape gardeners and trainees, who work every day to keep our local community clean and beautiful. Merolyn, who immigrated to Australia from Papua New Guinea, said she feels very lucky to be welcomed into our northside community; but the reality is that we are lucky to have Merolyn. Thank you, Richard, Merolyn, Taury, Kirsty, Alistair, Ian and all the workers at the Nundah Community Enterprise Cooperative for welcoming the member for Rankin and me and letting us walk a mile in your shoes. You've got nearly 31 years of proud service now, and we wouldn't be anything here in Nundah without you.