Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month, I had the very great honour of bringing together some of the incredible community members in the Scullin electorate at my annual Scullin Volunteer Awards, paying tribute to nearly 50 volunteers—people like Mabruka Mohamed, the co-founder and the President of the Libyan Women's Association, someone who's dedicated over a decade to service and advocacy as a volunteer for a significant emerging community group in the northern suburbs. Ms Mohamed is strengthening cultural connections and health education. She's someone who's doing so much to build a stronger and better-connected community. I'm so proud of so many people like her amongst the diverse communities, the sporting clubs, the scouting groups, the neighbourhood houses and the social enterprises in the Scullin electorate. There are groups like the Lalor & District Men's Shed, the Mill Park Football Club and Whittlesea Community Connections—the lifeblood of a diverse and united community. Across all of these groups there are so many dedicated and passionate volunteers who turn up week after week, never seeking recognition for themselves but contributing to making the suburbs of the Scullin electorate such a special community. In this place, Australia's parliament, I want to say a big thankyou to every volunteer in the electorate of Scullin. You do so much for so many. I want to encourage others to think about the contribution they can make in their communities but also to give a shout-out to those who they see around them making a difference for others.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to take a look at the progress being made in the construction of the Epping study hub with my friend the member for Calwell. The northern study hubs in Epping and Broadmeadows will transform the lives of people in the northern suburbs, and I'm incredibly optimistic for the contribution this will make for the future of our communities. In Labor, where you live should never be a barrier to completing a tertiary qualification. The study hub will bring university and TAFE closer to home with not just a place for students to study but a place for students to receive tailored academic support and build stronger connections with their fellow students. The City of Whittlesea has a university attainment rate of just over 23 per cent, well below the rate of about one-third across metropolitan Melbourne. This simply isn't good enough. This hub will make a real difference, and where it's located—right next to Epping train station, next to the plaza and located at the Melbourne Polytechnic Library—will make a real difference. The hub is also right over the road from St Monica's College, inspiring the next generation of students to pursue opportunities in university and TAFE.

For my constituents in Scullin, the Epping study hub is open for online registration for university and TAFE students. I encourage everyone to do so.