Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to pay tribute to some of the wonderful volunteer organisations in the Fremantle electorate and especially to the people who put their time and energy into making our community more inclusive, more connected and more fun and making our community healthier and happier by providing a range of ways to be involved—through sport, through arts and crafts and through initiatives that provide practical assistance and cost savings and that combat loneliness and isolation at the same time.

The federal government's volunteer grants program makes a small but important contribution to all those fantastic outcomes by helping to fund equipment, training and IT resources that amplify the effort that local people supply. In my time as the local representative, I've been glad to deliver 148 volunteer grants through more than $515,000 in practical, focused support. In the latest round of grants, there are a number of what I regard as characteristically generous and big-hearted recipients.

The Hub 6163, in Hamilton Hill, is a great example. It's a community centre that hosts all kinds of engaging groups and activities, from the Freo Steiner Playgroup to the South Freo Writers Group to Alcoholics Anonymous, and it facilitates life-affirming bits and pieces from yoga to Pilates to singing. On the recent occasion I visited, the hub was alive with the machine hum and warm conversation of the sustainable sewing group. I'm rapt that the volunteer grant will support this vital community centre's operational costs, insurance and communications expenses.

I also recently caught up with the good folk from the Coolbellup Panthers Amateur Football Club, including the president, Adrian, the club secretary, John, and some other members, to see how they were going with their upgraded point-of-sale system. The system was funded with a grant to help their bar and canteen volunteers and to make the club more viable and less administratively painful, especially for the volunteer treasurers. The Panthers do a brilliant job of delivering the great physical, social and emotional health benefits of team sport for young people across a range of culturally diverse backgrounds, with lots of First Nations kids in addition to new Australians from places like Cambodia, Croatia, Ethiopia, India and New Zealand. So go, Panthers!

Finally, it was a joy to pop into Harmony Primary School and meet with Christine and Sam from the school's canteen, which now benefits from a new commercial freezer and two new commercial fridges, thanks to an application from the Harmony P&C which resulted in $4,750 in grant support. All the canteen's food is prepared fresh on site, with a focus on healthy, tasty, colourful and waste-free options.

All these community organisations represent vibrant patches of supportive local colour in the great warming quilt of neighbourhood support that spans across Freo East, Freo and Cockburn. The fact that so much of this sustaining support is provided by volunteers is an uplifting reflection of our values and of our inclination to connect with and lift up our fellow residents and citizens. Being in a position to enable and amplify that labour of love through the Volunteer Grants is one of the great privileges of my work.