Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 11 Hansard (24 September) . . Page.. 3324 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

Mr Speaker, as an example of Northside's entrepreneurial flair - it is a truly remarkable example, in my opinion - I would ask you to look at the accounts for Northside's first year of operation where its turnover is recorded as $2,478.29. In stark comparison, this year's accounts for the Northside Community Service show a total income of well over $2m - an extraordinary achievement. Over the past 20 years I believe that the achievements of the Northside Community Service really are a tribute to the skill and the devotion of their very long-serving executive director, Ms Jillian Grant; to the board of Northside, who serve in an honorary capacity; to Northside staff, which has increased many times over in the 20 years of their life; and perhaps most of all to the volunteers who deliver many of the services for which the Northside Community Service are now famous. In fact, the work of those volunteers is absolutely vital to the delivery of many of those needed services.

I am very proud to have been associated with the Northside Community Service in my pre-political past, Mr Speaker. I would like to place on record my best wishes for at least another 20 years of success and of devoted service to the community by the Northside Community Service. I think that without them the quality of life for many Canberrans would be very much lower indeed.

I know that Northside have recently taken on some new projects and have done so without government funding. I hope I am not pre-empting any announcements about this but they have taken on the child-care centre at the Magistrates Court. They have taken over the child-care centre at the Canberra Centre, the large shopping centre here in town. They will also be taking on a youth project in Ngunnawal, out in Gungahlin, utilising the demountable building that has been in place at Palmerston. I think that kind of expansion, that offering of new and improved services to the community, is typical of the Northside Community Service. I wish them very well in those new ventures as well.

Mr Speaker, I would remind members that a community service like Northside in many ways delivers services to the community which are delivered by local government in other areas of Australia, so they are absolutely integral to the quality of life of Canberrans. In the Northside Community Service we truly have a service worthy to look up to, and perhaps one worthy as a model for many other organisations around Australia. I congratulate them, and I am sure that everybody in the Assembly does as well.

MR HIRD (4.19): Mr Speaker, New South Wales-ACT RAMS last week beat the top side in the national competition, Geelong, by 11 goals to go into the grand final at the MCG this weekend. This is their first year in this competition. They are in the curtain-raiser for the AFL grand final at the MCG. By the final quarter a crowd of over 80,000 people should be watching the cream of the ACT football fraternity. They can be seen on Prime TV this Saturday at 8.10 am. All Canberrans should be proud of our team.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .