Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I want to recognise some of the beautiful things that have been happening across our communities in my electorate of Hawke in recent times. It was a privilege to join the Sunbury community for SunFest's 50th anniversary just last month. There were two outstanding days at the Village Green that drew a fantastic crowd of 20,000 people to celebrate five decades of this beloved community festival. SunFest remains one of Sunbury's greatest community achievements, and, for a town that also happens to be the birthplace of the Ashes, that's really saying something. It's been going since 1976, and it doesn't happen without an extraordinary group of volunteers who show up every single year. Congratulations to the committee president, Angus McTaggart, the secretary, Kate Topp, the entire SunFest committee, and everyone who made this milestone such a success.

It's been a year of fiftieths in my community. Last month, I also had the pleasure of attending the 50th Ballan Autumn Festival. I promise I'm not entirely biased, despite Ballan being my home town, but it was a wonderful celebration of everything that makes the Ballan community so special. Congratulations to the festival president, Kevin Harper, and the entire committee on this extraordinary milestone. I also want to acknowledge the 35th anniversary of the Ballan and District Chamber of Commerce, a remarkable contribution to local business and community life over more than three decades.

I was delighted to visit the brand new Murrum early learning centre in Weir Views recently with the Minister for Early Childhood Education. During the election we promised to deliver a new childcare centre for the Weir Views community, and it was fantastic to see this commitment had come to life. It shows what happens when you invest in the future of young families in our growing community. I also joined the Cobblebank Community Services Hub topping-out ceremony in March, which is the result of a $15 million investment by the Albanese government through the Thriving Suburbs Program. This hub will bring essential health, disability, employment and rehabilitation services under one roof for the community of Cobblebank and surrounding areas. This is a direct result of our commitment to ensuring that growth areas get the services and infrastructure that they need and that they deserve.

I'm also pleased to report that more than 80 per cent of clinics in Hawke are now bulk-billing, reflecting the real impact of the Albanese Labor government's Medicare reforms on our community. I'm pleased to do so in the presence of the Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, who's done extraordinary work across government to make this a reality for people across our community—thank you, Mark. More families in Melton, Bacchus Marsh, Diggers Rest, Sunbury and across my electorate can now see a GP without worrying about the costs.

Finally, I want to give a big shout-out to Jacinta Guirguis from Bacchus Marsh, who made it to the top six on Australian Idol just this week.