Print this pagePenrith Community Cabinet Meeting
The Government’s third Community Cabinet Meeting was held in the evening of Tuesday 15 April 2008, at Jamison High School in Penrith South, NSW, where the local community engaged with Ministers on many issues, ranging from housing affordability to “green” cars and public transport, and support for carers.
The meeting proved very popular with registrations quickly reaching maximum venue capacity. A total of 540 people registered to attend the evening event, all very keen to engage with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues.
The principal, Graham Hodgkins, welcomed the Australian Government Cabinet to Jamison High School and local student, Nicholas Gentile, sang the Australian National Anthem to the accompaniment of the school band. The meeting opened with local Federal member, David Bradbury reading the Statement of Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage
In opening remarks, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to hold Community Cabinet meetings throughout the country to give people the opportunity to bring their concerns directly to Government. He noted that Community Cabinet is a two-way process where the community gets direct access to Government and the Government gets a first-hand understanding of community expectations.
The Prime Minister provided a summary of the outcomes of the Community Cabinet Meetings to-date. Including the Penrith meeting, approximately 1,800 people have registered to attend Community Cabinet, with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues meeting around 220 individuals and organisations on a one to one basis.
The Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers answered questions from the floor during the public forum. Forum questions canvassed local and national challenges such as support for seniors and mental health sufferers, and an eloquent submission on carers facing the prospect of themselves becoming unable to support their loved ones. The challenges of housing affordability and living standards were raised along with tertiary education opportunities in Western Sydney keeping pace with population growth. The Prime Minister and his colleagues were asked about Government policies that promote permanent positions in the work force; chaplaincy positions in schools and the location of Sydney’s second airport. Afterwards, one-on-one meetings provided individuals and organisations with an opportunity to discuss particular matters of concern directly with Cabinet Ministers.
The next Community Cabinet Meeting was held at Mackay North State High School, Mackay, in the electorate of Dawson in QLD on Sunday 29 June 2008.
Photos on this page provided by AUSPIC
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