Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I wish to acknowledge three achievements unique to the stunning electorate of Cook. Firstly, Bate Bay's beaches were aptly named the Best Beach of the Year in Australia for 2026. This national recognition isn't just about the stunning scenery—and it is very stunning; anyone who's walked along Cronulla, Elouera, Wanda or Greenhills knows how beautiful those beaches are—but it's also about pride in the local community, environmental stewardship and keeping those beaches safe. We are lucky to have hundreds if not thousands of volunteers who walk along those beaches and collect rubbish. To those across our four surf clubs—Cronulla, North Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda—who give up hundreds of thousands of hours over the years to keep those beaches safe: we thank you. We thank you for your part in making this the best beach in Australia.

One of those volunteers is Jenson Wade, and Jenson proves that you're never too young to make a difference. Jenson organised the Jenson Hates Waste beach clean-up in Cronulla Beach, and the results were extraordinary. With the help of the local community, Jenson collected more than 12,000 pieces of rubbish from Cronulla Beach and the sand and surrounding hills. Those 12,000 pieces of plastic debris and litter are no longer polluting our beautiful beach and are no longer threatening marine life. Cronulla is one of the jewels of the Sutherland Shire and one of the jewels of Australia. Thanks to young people like Jenson—and your mates who were there to help you that day—it's being looked after by the next generation.

I wish to celebrate a truly iconic event in the local Sutherland Shire calendar: the Shark Island Swim. This legendary open-water swim has been a fixture of Sydney's summer for more than 30 years, bringing together swimmers of all ages and all abilities to test themselves against the ocean and the spectacular backdrop that is Shark Island. I'd like to congratulate Harry Came, who won both the one-kilometre race and the 2.3-kilometre race; Thomas Valassis and Steve Boxall, who came second and third in the one-kilometre race; and Beau Griggs and Charlotte Bowmer, who came second and third in the 2.3-kilometre race. I'd like to thank Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club and indeed all the members of the Bate Bay clubs who helped put on the event and helped organise it on the day. I'd also like to thank Scott Charlton and Sydney Airport, who sponsored that event and sponsor so many great events in southern Sydney and Cronulla.

There's one last person I'd like to thank: Brian Havilah, the 91-year-old who completed that one-kilometre swim. Brian, you're a legend.