Mary Aldred (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I associate myself with the fine remarks of the member for Dunkley, particularly in relation to her comments as we prepare for World Suicide Prevention Day. As a former board member of Lifeline Gippsland, this is an issue I'm particularly passionate about, and I want to recognise the very, very fine work that many mental health organisations in my electorate of Monash undertake. Tragically, it is the leading cause of death in Australia for those aged between 15 and 44. We still have a rate of suicide in this country that is far too high.

On Sunday I had the great privilege of attending the unveiling of the Drouin military memorial, which is an amazing project that has been put together by the Drouin Anglican Church, veterans from the Drouin RSL and the broader community. They've done an absolutely magnificent job of planting elm trees which link to the Drouin RSL and other local community monuments like the cenotaph. It commemorates the Centenary of Armistice for the First World War, from 2014 to 2018. There are a number of veterans that I want to recognise, including Rod McNab and Graeme Watts, who was in charge of the Drouin veterans welfare centre. He has done some remarkable work over 30 years in advocating for veterans in our community.

I want to acknowledge that today the national accounts will be released. For me, it's a question of: are we better off? Productivity has been going backwards, and in the last national accounts we saw a growth rate of 0.2 per cent in the March quarter. This has a really big impact on local organisations that look after people in my electorate of Monash who are really struggling. I particularly want to acknowledge Frankies Community Kitchen. I went there with my mum earlier this year to peel vegetables and to support their kitchen crew. They do an amazing job of giving unused food from supermarkets and local restaurants a second chance in our community, and demand for their services has never been so high. I also want to acknowledge the Baw Baw Food Relief centre, run by the four big Cs, the four local churches in our community, and the Corinella food bank, which I visited with Senator Jane Hume during the election. They do an absolutely magnificent job.

More broadly, though, sporting infrastructure is incredibly important in the Monash electorate. I want to affirm my very, very strong commitment to fight for new infrastructure at Mirboo North, with their sporting oval; Fish Creek, with their football club; and Moe, with their swim club getting shade cloths and solar heating, and all of the other magnificent sporting clubs right across the Monash electorate.