Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very proud to have the opportunity to rise and talk about an important community led initiative in Eden-Monaro. The Curalo Medical Clinic in Eden on the far south coast of New South Wales was founded in 1989. Since that time the clinic has grown and moved locations. It now employs a team of GPs, registered nurses and support staff dispensing quality health care and family-friendly access to the people of Eden. About a year ago I met with the principal GP of Curalo clinic, Dr Michael Pentin, and other GPs, who sounded an alarm over the future of our GP clinics as they neared retirement. Dr Pentin highlighted the difficulties of a rural GP practice, including attracting new GPs, and the cost and complexity of running a business. As so often happens in our regions, the solution came from the community.

April Merrick, Belinda Morris and Damien Hickman were inspired to create Creators of Community Ownership, where the community owns and operates a social enterprise supporting vital local services. Creators of Community Ownership, or CoCO, has been through an intense development phase. The model was built and tested with the support of Bendigo bank and won Best Social Enterprise in the Bega Valley Circular Challenge last year. CoCO then participated in the iAccelerate program, a unique business accelerator and incubator program run by the University of Wollongong, to further progress the concept and get it up and running. On 1 October this year, CoCO will take over Curalo Medical Clinic. The not-for-profit will own the practice and doctors and staff will continue their roles without worrying about operating costs, leaving doctors to focus on providing quality patient care.

Operating as a not-for-profit takes the financial pressure of running a business out of the equation. As a social enterprise it will be able to access funding, donations and tax concessions, while any profits will go back into the clinic itself. Happily, Dr Pentin will continue as a supervising doctor for the time being, though he is now confident in planning his retirement while being confident about the future of the clinic in Eden. This is another example of regional communities creating their own solutions. Watch this space for how other communities might benefit from this model.

I am absolutely delighted to be opening a new home for FLING Physical Theatre in Bega tomorrow night. FLING is a remarkable youth dance organisation based in the Bega Valley. It has recently celebrated its 21st birthday, and I'd like to share some amazing statistics compiled by its co-directors. Over its 21 years of operation, FLING has presented 250 performances; delivered 11,328 sessions to 16,000 participants; presented work to over 36,000 audience members locally and on tour in Singapore and Australia, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Dubbo, Yass, Bathurst, Cooma, Jindabyne, Eden, Merimbula and Bermagui; employed 350 professional artists; and seen 31 young people go onto professional careers in the arts, joining tertiary institutions such as the Victorian College of the Arts, National Institute of Circus Arts, New Zealand School of Dance, Sydney Dance Company's Pre-Professional Year, and Deakin and Wollongong universities. Thanks to funding from Create NSW and the Foundation For Rural & Regional Renewal, FLING now has a permanent home. I am confident that it will go from strength to strength.

I'd like to highlight another amazing Eden-Monaro hero: Victor the Viking. Last week we celebrated 40 years since Queanbeyan resident Tony Wood first took the field as Canberra Raiders mascot Victor the Viking. Victor has attended every Raiders home game except on rare occasions where he was unwell and says he's attended more than 500 games over the decades. In 2021 Tony received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his enormous contribution to the rugby league community. Tony has always taken the view that it's a fun thing to do, not for himself but for the community. He's a true community advocate in our region and not just for rugby league. Forty years on, Tony continues to put smiles on the faces of people both on and off the field. Thank you, Tony, for your enormous contribution to our region. Enjoy the rest of the Raiders season. I'm sure we're headed to the grand final!

This past June long weekend was the opening of the ski season in Eden-Monaro. It brings a host of benefits for communities across our region as tourists flock to experience the wonders of the Snowy Mountains. One of the highlights is the reopening of the Selwyn ski resort's new state-of-the-art visitor centre. After suffering significant damage in the Black Summer bushfires, the resort has been busy with its rebuilding efforts and guests are now welcome back to the new, improved Mount Selwyn. It has been a tough season so far, but we know that the winter weather is coming and that the ski season will well and truly get underway. Get around our small communities and spend your dollars there when you are on the mountains skiing. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 13:35