ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT - CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS - Riverina Electorate

As I drove to work in Canberra some months ago, I noticed, at the intersection at Manuka Circuit, which intersects with Canberra Avenue, going into Captain Cook Crescent—it's a wonder they haven't changed the name of Captain Cook Cresent; they probably will, knowing that we're in Canberra—there was a crash. The windscreen was all over the road, and it's still there. I say that in the context that this is the national capital, and this debris has been there for many months. That wouldn't happen in a country town, certainly not in a country town in my electorate. I say that in the context that last weekend Parkes won the Overall Tidy Towns Award for 2024. Well done to Parkes.

I well remember driving through Temora a year or so ago, and there was a piece of paper in the main street, which is very rare because it's such a tidy town. I thought, 'I must send a text to the mayor, Rick Firman, when I pull up, and say, "Hey, mate, you've got a bit of rubbish in your main street."' But, when I travelled back there, it was gone. It was Saturday afternoon, and it was gone just a few hours later because they take care of their town. They love their town. They take pride in their lawns. That is country communities. That is regional Australia. That is the real heart of this nation.

We have got so many volunteers. There are so many good people in the regions. I've attended three events in recent times. One was in, what will hopefully be the new part of my electorate, Murrumbateman. The others were in Harden and Illabo. There is such a number of hardworking, dedicated people who get behind these communities. At the Murrumbateman Field Days, the president, Iain McCall, the vice president, Steph Helm, and the treasurer, Jenny Weekes, headed up a dedicated committee that has held these field days for many, many years. It was such a good event, with thousands of people descending upon that little community. It was such a good day promoting agriculture and country living.

The Harden Kite Festival draws on assistance from more than 50 to up to 100 volunteers working with the dedicated committee there. Gee, they do some good work. Of course we were aided and abetted by a windy day on the Harden Racecourse. The colour and vibrance of that day—if you haven't been there, make sure you put it on your bucket list. Then there was the 102nd Illabo Show, presided over by Simon Muller with secretary Nicole Hopkins and treasurer Gerard Ryan. The new amenities that were put in place by the coalition government during COVID are something to be seen. Well done indeed to the Illabo Show and to all the shows. They are what country communities are all about. Long live those agricultural shows because they do so much good and create so much benefit for our local regions.