ASSOCIATION ABRUZZESI DEL NSW .......................................................................................... 22403 BAULKHAM HILLS ELECTORATE COMMUNITY AWARDS .................................................... 22443 BISHOP FOX MEAL CENTRE .......................................................................................................... 22398 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE ...................................................................................... 22390, 22405, 22405 CAMERAYGAL FESTIVAL .............................................................................................................. 22398 CENTENNIAL PARKLANDS ............................................................................................................ 22395 COMMISSIONER OF POLICE POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE ...................................................... 22407 CONSIDERATION OF MOTIONS TO BE ACCORDED PRIORITY .............................................. 22416 COONAMBLE BURGLAR BEWARE PROGRAM........................................................................... 22394 CORRIMAL LIONS CLUB ................................................................................................................. 22443 DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CASEWORKER VACANCIES22404, 22411 EAST HILLS SMALL BUSINESS ...................................................................................................... 22442 ENERGY EFFICIENCY ...................................................................................................................... 22413 ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY BILL 2013 ..................................................................................... 22422 FAIRFIELD HIGH SCHOOL MULTICULTURAL DAY .................................................................. 22441 GUIDE DOGS CENTRE ..................................................................................................................... 22400 GUN CRIME ............................................................................................................................ 22405, 22406 HAWKESBURY ELECTORATE EVENTS ....................................................................................... 22399 HEATHCOTE ELECTORATE INFRASTRUCTURE........................................................................ 22401 HOLY FAMILY PRIMARY SCHOOL EAST GRANVILLE ............................................................ 22392 KING OF THE MOUNTAIN FUN RUN ............................................................................................ 22392 LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE ........................................................................................... 22415 LISMORE-YAMATO TAKADA SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP .................................................. 22444 MAJOR EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS ............................................................................................. 22411 MEDOWIE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL .................................................................................................... 22396 MINISTER FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ................................... 22409, 22412, 22413 MOTOR ACCIDENT INJURIES AMENDMENT BILL 2013 ........................................................... 22421 OATLEY ELECTORATE INFRASTRUCTURE ............................................................................... 22397 PACIFIC HIGHWAY UPGRADE ....................................................................................................... 22408 PETITIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 22415 PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS ................................................................................. 22390, 22441 QUESTION TIME ............................................................................................................................... 22405 QUESTION TIME: SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWERS ....................................................................... 22404 ROAD TRANSPORT AMENDMENT (LICENCE DISQUALIFICATION ON CONVICTION) BILL 2013 .............................................................................................................................................................. 22441 SENATE VACANCY .......................................................................................................................... 22421 SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT INITIATIVES .................................................................................. 22418 SUPERANNUATION GUARANTEE RATE ..................................................................................... 22409 THE MEETING PLACE, TUMBI UMBI ............................................................................................ 22390 VIETNAM VETERANS DAY ............................................................................................................ 22393 WALLSEND ROAD SAFETY ............................................................................................................ 22391 22390 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Tuesday 20 August 2013 __________ 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 __________ THE MEETING PLACE, TUMBI UMBI Mr CHRIS SPENCE (The Entrance) [12.09 p.m.]: In May I was invited to attend the official opening of The Meeting Place in Tumbi Umbi. The Meeting Place is an outstanding resource for the Killarney Vale, Bateau Bay and Tumbi Umbi [KBT] communities and was formerly known as the KBT Neighbourhood Hub. The KBT Neighbourhood Hub was started by Housing NSW but in July 2011 it was adopted by Compass Housing. The Central Coast branch of Compass is the only branch with a community hub attached. Compass Housing manages approximately 160 public housing properties in the KBT area and took on the hub with the concept of running a holistic one-stop-shop community centre. At the heart of the Compass philosophy is its people, place and performance approach; the principle that people, their needs and sense of community are important; that their sense of place and being connected socially in their community is important; and performance in terms of managing housing assets to acceptable standards and their needs are met as best as possible. Compass believes in a connected community and The Meeting Place is a great demonstration of this belief. Through its GROW program it supports and strengthens individuals and families inclusively. It believes in helping its housing clients to become more self-reliant while still providing the support they need. It recognises that more often than not an individual or family's need to resolve housing issues is but one of the needs in their life, and that by taking a holistic approach to assisting its tenants it has the potential to enrich their lives personally, economically, socially and environmentally. It is a real change of thinking in the approach to managing community housing. In speaking to Rene McKenzie-Low, the Central Coast branch manager and community development officer, and Debra Allan, the chief operations officer and executive manager of community sustainability, their passion and belief in what they are achieving through The Meeting Place is clear. They are embracing a community spirit by opening up and involving members of the community and creating opportunities for people to get involved; it is also a place for KBT residents to go when they need assistance or even just want to say hello. Through this project, Compass recognised a need in the community and not only has consistently worked to meet those needs but also, perhaps more importantly, has worked to create an environment where community members can begin to take personal responsibility for the issues they are facing, but have the support available to assist them in working through those issues. Compass has worked outside the box to utilise a mix of public and private sector services and resources to create an outstanding community hub. It organises fruit and vegetable boxes by sourcing the produce from local suppliers and packaging them in the hub. The fruit and vegetable boxes are made available for residents of the community to purchase at a reasonable price, with Compass making neither profit nor loss but believing in the importance of placing a value on something rather than being simply a handout. Compass runs work-for-the-dole programs and has had outstanding outcomes, with participants feeling supported and respected, and achieving the confidence and skills they need to return to the workforce. 20 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22391 A volunteer financial counsellor is on site one day per week and has been successful in not only reducing rental arrears but also assisting individuals and families to take ownership of their financial situation and giving them the tools and support to become financially stable and sustainable. The outcome with the KBT tenants has been a reduction in rental arrears but as a side effect it has seen living standards in the area increase as tenants grow confident in their sense of personal responsibility and belonging. The team environment at The Meeting Place is so welcoming, friendly and supportive that as time goes on they are finding more people drawn to volunteer their time. They have a formal program for their volunteers