14481 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Tuesday 4 September 2012 __________ The Speaker (The Hon. Shelley Elizabeth Hancock) took the chair at 12 noon. The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Notices of Motions General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) given. PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS __________ GOULBURN ELECTORATE EVENTS Ms PRU GOWARD (Goulburn—Minister for Family and Community Services, and Minister for Women) [12.13 p.m.]: To coin an oft used phrase: spring has surely sprung across New South Wales. The final day of winter left with a sharp snap of icy winds and snow on the high ground. In fact, there was snow in my back garden. The days are starting to get noticeably longer, blossoms are drifting from the almond and cherry trees and the daffodils are brightening up our gardens. My electorate is noted for its four distinct seasons and spring means gardens bloom and lambs, calves and foals are evident in the paddocks. As we cast off the shackles of winter we turn our attention to one of Goulburn electorate's greatest fortes: fundraising. The window of my electorate office provides a much pored over community noticeboard. During the winter months it is a little depleted, as people prefer to stay home on the cold days and long nights; but spring tells a different tale. The district understands the importance of community. We know our neighbours and the people down the street and we are keen to support fundraising events and to look after our own. Not only do these events raise funds for a number of interest groups, they also are wonderful for building human capital within the community. Whether it is the mums and dads at the school canteen or kids' sporting venue, or the committees formed by committed individuals organising balls and dinners, these events bring together teams of people who forge lifetime friendships in the process of supporting their community. A dinner at the Annesley ballroom in Bowral, which was held last weekend in support of the proposed Southern Highlands Botanic Garden, was one such event. My husband, David, and I were delighted to attend. The proposed garden will breathe life into a scruffy paddock on the outskirts of town bordered by the suburbs of old Bowral, Burradoo and East Bowral and will create a venue for the study, promotion and enjoyment of gardens for the local community and for visitors to our shire. The not-for-profit voluntary association employs no staff and relies entirely on charitable donations. To this end it has established the Friends of the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens, which now boasts around 500 members. The community enthusiasm last Saturday night was palpable. The guest speaker was David Mabberly, Executive Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. He gave a very interesting talk on the history of botanic gardens, telling the story of British exploration teams which always included a botanist who would collect specimens and then introduce any new species to European society. Thousands of new species were introduced to European society in that way. We only have to look at our own history and Joseph Banks's contribution to botany dating back to Cook's first voyage in order to demonstrate community interest in Australian plant life. The Southern Highlands Botanic Garden will showcase a mix of native and exotic trees that will highlight four distinct seasons in a cold climate. To represent the natural woodland that was endemic to the area the garden will also include a shale woodland. The site will utilise a natural water course to form a chain of ponds to be known as the Ponds of Reflection. The ponds also will assist migratory birds. A particular reference will be made in the design to two women, Louisa Atkinson and Janet Cosh, who made a notable contribution to 14482 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 4 September 2012 the knowledge of local flora. Louisa Atkinson, from nearby Oldbury in Sutton Forest, collected and illustrated local flora back in the nineteenth century, the majority of which are now held by the State Library of New South Wales. Her granddaughter Janet Cosh has continued the tradition and provided the resources to establish the herbarium at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens. With such enthusiastic support from the local community and funding grants from all levels of government, the development of the garden is racing ahead with the grand opening optimistically scheduled for December 2013—coinciding with the Bowral sesquicentenary. I acknowledge and congratulate the members of the executive committee on their commitment to the project despite numerous obstacles to its progress. Recently Charlotte Webb was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community, in particular, the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens. I congratulate her on her leadership of this project. Ms Webb put together a capable committee consisting of Ross Stone, Jacqui Page, Jan Edwards, David Cummins, Geoff McBean, David Ross and Chris Webb. The Friends of the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens committee is ably led by Ted Duncan. It is amazing how the same names keep appearing on different committee executives, which goes to prove that if you want a job done ask a busy person. The Goulburn Wetlands Project is another ambitious landscaping project in Goulburn. As an inaugural member of Friends and Residents of Goulburn Swamplands—FROGS—I am looking forward to joining my fellow members in early October to start planting out this exciting project. YOUNG LIFESAVER OF THE YEAR JEREMY KUIPER Mr RYAN PARK (Keira) [12.18 p.m.]: I talk today about a constituent in my electorate called Jeremy Kuiper. Jeremy was recently named Young Lifesaver of the Year at Surf Life Saving NSW 2012 Awards of Excellence. As those of us lucky enough to live in coastal areas understand—such as Madam Speaker and the member for Wollongong—lifesavers are important to the local community. We know firsthand that they are the first people on the scene when there is an incident or tragedy on our beautiful waterways and they are often— and should be—the last person to leave the beach on a summer evening. Jeremy Kuiper, who at 18 years of age captains the Fairy Meadow Surf Life Saving Club, is a fantastic individual. Fairy Meadow Surf Life Saving Club is a very proud and parochial local surf life saving club in the Illawarra. Jeremy has taken on the captaincy role despite the club having many members much older than he is and despite a fear of the surf when he was young. A fear of surf is not uncommon for many young lifesavers. In their case they do not take to the surf like a fish to water; it takes time for them to get used to it. However, over time Jeremy has developed a passion for surf lifesaving and an understanding of the importance of the local surf life saving club not only to improving his skills but also to supporting the local community. Jeremy was named Young Lifesaver of the Year at the Surf Life Saving NSW 2012 Awards of Excellence. He should be extremely proud to have received this most prestigious surf lifesaving award at 18 years of age. I am extremely proud of him. This young man has taken on a leadership role in his local community and he continues to act as a role model for young people in the region as well as volunteers generally across the Illawarra. During the last season he logged over 130 patrol hours. For those of us who know a little bit about surf lifesaving, 130 beach patrol hours is an enormous effort. It is all done voluntarily, free of charge, and it is always done in the spirit of helping others. I am also extremely proud of the Fairy Meadow Surf Life Saving Club. The club continues to grow and attract new members—young children and women—recruits former members back to the club, and has non-active members who help out week in and week out. The club has a very proud history and it is an honour for me to represent a club that produces such fantastic talent as Jeremy Kuiper. I also am proud to be a member of the Parliamentary Friends of Surf Live Saving, which advances the cause of surf lifesaving and related issues in this place. I will continue to be a strong advocate for our local surf life saving clubs. Living within a few hundred metres of a beach I see firsthand, particularly during the summer months, the fantastic work that surf lifesavers do to keep locals and tourists safe on our beaches. I congratulate Fairy Meadow Surf Life Saving Club and Jeremy Kuiper on receiving this wonderful award. Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Minister for Local Government, and Minister for the North Coast) [12.23 p.m.]: On behalf of the Government I join with the member for Keira in congratulating Jeremy Kuiper of Fairy Meadow Surf Life Saving Club on being awarded Young Lifesaver of the Year at the recent Surf Life Saving NSW 2012 Awards of Excellence. The electorate of Ballina, which I represent, has a very strong lifesaving culture, particularly in Byron Bay and Ballina. I was delighted to learn that many surf life saving 4 September 2012 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 14483 clubs and individuals in my electorate also were successful at those recent awards. As the member for Keira said, these volunteers, who are role models in our communities, do a fantastic job in keeping our beaches safe. CROSS-BORDER COMMISSIONER Mr GEOFF PROVEST (Tweed—Parliamentary Secretary) [12.24 p.m.]: As members know, I am always 100 per cent for the Tweed.