Zhi Soon (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to rise and acknowledge some of the community organisations and events that I have been able to attend and support over the last few weeks in my electorate of Banks. The students at Lugarno Public School, Picnic Point High School and Panania Public School each held services to mark Anzac Day, which I had the privilege of attending, while many more schools were represented at RSL ceremonies across the community, across the electorate, on the day. Anzac commemorations are one of the most solemn occasions on our national calendar, and the students and schools treated the commemorations with the deep reverence and reflection that the day and ceremonies commanded. It is always heartening to see local students participating in one of our most important national traditions.

On 1 May, I was able to drop in to the St George Men's Shed at Carss Park and catch up during their monthly barbecue. Organisations like the St George Men's Shed provide an excellent avenue for men from the community to come together, talk, and put their skills to great causes. The St George Men's Shed is in a particularly beautiful location next to Carss Bush Park, overlooking the sporting fields across to the Georges River. It was great to speak with members about what they've been up to and the types of support they need. Thank you to all the members for having me, especially to the president, Phil, and the secretary, Bernie, for organising my visit.

Finally, in late April, it was my pleasure to join the minister for infrastructure, Catherine King, and the mayor of the Canterbury-Bankstown Council, Bilal El-Hayek, for the opening of the new Lambeth Reserve Playground. When I speak to families in my electorate of Banks, quality outdoor spaces and playgrounds are the most common things I hear about, and the delivery of such facilities like this is so important to communities across the country. I'm pleased to say the pirate playground in Lambeth Reserve is a smash hit amongst families across the area, and they look forward to further playgrounds coming up.

This pirate ship playground was made possible by federal government funding through the Thriving Suburbs Program, contributing $9.5 million to a series of projects across the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA in conjunction with the council. And I very much look forward to the opening of another one of these projects, the whale playground at the Deepwater Park Play Space in Milperra, very soon. In particular, I look forward to bringing my little girl, Dorothy, as well as my nieces Eleanor and Abigail to make sure they can enjoy the excellent amenities that our local area is providing with the support of the federal government.