17443 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Wednesday 17 October 2001 ______ Mr Speaker (The Hon. John Henry Murray) took the chair at 10.00 a.m. Mr Speaker offered the Prayer. BILLS RETURNED The following bills were returned from the Legislative Council without amendment: Police Powers (Vehicles) Amendment Bill Summary Offences Amendment (Minors in Sex Clubs) and Theatres and Public Halls Repeal Bill ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF TAMWORTH Resignation of Antony Harold Curties Windsor Mr SPEAKER: I report the receipt of a letter dated 16 October 2001 from Antony Harold Curties Windsor resigning his seat as member for the electoral district of Tamworth. Vacant Seat Motion by Mr Whelan agreed to: That, in accordance with section 70 of the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912, the seat of the member for Tamworth be declared vacant, by reason of the resignation of Antony Harold Curties Windsor. PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS _________ Mr FACE: I seek the leave of the House to permit up to 10 members to make private members' statements forthwith. Leave granted. LINCS VOLUNTEER SCHEME INC. Mr ROZZOLI (Hawkesbury) [10.02 a.m.]: I draw to the attention of the House the outstanding success of a volunteer organisation in my electorate. I am proud to announce that the Living in Communities [LINCS] Volunteer Scheme Inc. was successfully named the national winner of the National Health and Medical Research Council award for volunteer services in medically related areas. It won the national award in the community service regional organisation category, following its outstanding success as the New South Wales winner. This is an outstanding achievement for this organisation, which has struggled financially to carry out its work. Despite various attempts, LINCS has not been able to obtain financial assistance from the Government. The LINCS Volunteer Scheme was initiated in the Hawkesbury district in 1997. The scheme was established to respond to the needs of a number of mothers with young families who suffered depression or were unable to cope because of social isolation and lack of personal family support. Through the LINCS scheme, volunteers are trained to provide support to families in need. LINCS liaises with other vital infrastructure in the Hawkesbury district, such as a service network involving a large number of government and non-government organisations, including the Department of Community Services [DOCS], the child protection unit, family support services, local neighbourhood and community centres, local schools and the division of general practice. LINCS liaises also with parenting support programs, including those run through the school community and the community nursing service at the Hawkesbury District Health Service, which provides home visits to families soon after the birth of their child. 17444 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 17 October 2001 On numerous occasions I have made representations on behalf of LINCS for funding support under the Families First program. To date those applications have been unsuccessful. The outstanding feature of the LINCS organisation is not only its service delivery to the community it seeks to serve but also its extraordinarily successful volunteer training program, which is administered by community nurses from the Hawkesbury Hospital. It is principally for this service that additional funding has been sought. Many similar services throughout New South Wales, which operate under the Families First program, have indicated that they would like to have access to the volunteer training program that LINCS provides because that training program has been so outstandingly successful. Those applications have also fallen on deaf ears. I suggest that the Government consider those applications. I have written to the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Gillian Calvert. I have re-presented the credentials of LINCS and have reiterated my request for the provision of financial support to enable LINCS to provide training facilities for similar program groups throughout New South Wales. It is quite clear from the national success of this organisation that it is an organisation of outstanding capability. It has a great deal to contribute, not only to the Hawkesbury community but also to communities throughout New South Wales. The benefit of the program operated by LINCS is that volunteers go into the homes. It is an economical and efficient process because the well-trained volunteers are able to support families who find themselves in need through the existence of a variety of circumstances and the volunteers prevent situations getting out of hand. The circumstances would become increasingly traumatic for families if they were not addressed, as well as increasingly expensive for the community and government. The situation for families could also get out of control. The work of LINCS is an all-round win-win situation for the community, the Government and the families concerned. I seek the support of the Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Hunter Development, who is in the Chamber. The Minister, who is a compassionate person, would understand the matters I have raised from his long service in this Parliament. Additional financial support to expand the LINCS training program—a nationally recognised organisation—would result in a great flow-on benefit to the community. Mr FACE (Charlestown—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Hunter Development) [10.07 a.m.]: I know of the LINCS organisation to which the honourable member for Hawkesbury has referred. That voluntary group has done some exceptional work. I will convey his remarks to the appropriate Minister. CAMPBELLTOWN FESTIVAL OF CULTURES Mr WEST (Campbelltown) [10.08 a.m.]: I congratulate Campbelltown City Council on holding a successful Festival of Cultures last weekend in Koshigaya Park, Campbelltown. It is an appropriate place for such an event because Koshigaya Park is named after Campbelltown's sister city in Japan. It was a great family occasion. I took my son to the festival, and many people took their entire families to see circus acts, including people twirling plates on sticks; to listen to music from around the world; to watch Chinese dragon dancing and other entertainment; and to experience an array of food in various stalls. Campbelltown is one of only four sites across New South Wales which holds this festival with the support of the New South Wales Government in the form of a $10,000 grant under the Street Festivals Project 2001. The project follows last year's Olympic 2000 Street Festivals Project, which was funded by the Ethnic Affairs Commission. The Street Festivals Project 2001 aims to build on the huge success of the Olympic 2000 Street Festivals Project by continuing to develop and enhance community relations, as well as by promoting the benefits of cultural diversity in local communities. The project certainly achieved these aims in Campbelltown. The day was about celebrating tolerance and difference by showing that we value the rich experience that each of us, and each culture, brings to our community. The Tharawal community welcomed us by word and dance. Many volunteers from communities across Campbelltown came together to make the day a success. They included police, and volunteers from the policing centre. I give a special thanks to Jeff Williams, who allowed children to climb all over the motorbike that was his fiftieth birthday present. Other volunteers included the fire brigades, government agencies, and the Macarthur Migrant Resource Centre. I especially thank Juan Perez from Campbelltown City Council for his efforts in making the day a huge success. It was especially pleasing to see representatives from the Macarthur Migrant Resource Centre at the festival because they had recently moved to new and larger premises, which opened last Thursday. I congratulate the centre's President, Phillip Costa, and co-ordinator Karin Vasquez on their efforts in assisting migrants in the area. I thank them for their hard work and for the performers they arranged for the day, especially John and his family who gave a great opening. John and his family, who performed traditional 17 October 2001 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 17445 Islander dances and played wonderful music, dragged all the invited guests onto the stage and forced them to dance. That was certainly entertaining for the crowd to watch. As a community, it is a sign of our confidence and spirit that we can work together and we can celebrate our differences. The success of the Festival of Cultures clearly demonstrated that in Campbelltown. On Saturday Campbelltown will have another chance to show that spirit when the second Relay for Life takes place at the athletics stadium. This great initiative was held in Campbelltown for the first time last year, when the Premier opened the event. It has since been replicated across the State. Staff of this Parliament have been instrumental in ensuring that this worthwhile cause takes root in other communities. The event is about bringing the community together to support cancer research and cancer prevention. Prevention comes about through research, and research costs money. However, there have been successes such as the Slip Slop Slap campaign, which has helped reduce skin cancer deaths. The Relay for Life brings together survivors and families who have lost friends or relatives and the community in remembering those who have died from cancer and those who have survived. All members of this Parliament would know someone who has been touched by cancer. This year's Relay for Life will be yet another great event in Campbelltown. I am sure it will raise money for the local hospital's research projects and for the Cancer Council. I congratulate Campbelltown City Council, the organisers, and the Cancer Council on again getting behind this event. Mr FACE (Charlestown—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Hunter Development) [10.12 a.m.]: I congratulate the honourable member for Campbelltown on his overview of the exciting events that have taken place in Campbelltown.