Aaron Violi
Casey · Liberal Party · Australia
“I think it's really important when we have this discussion, that we separate the intent versus the outcome. Now, it's clear the intent is to make sure all those under 16 do not have access to social media.”
“CFA volunteers give back so much to our community, and today I want to pay tribute to a good friend of mine, someone I've known for 20 years: Tim Mitchelson, better known to all of us as Loaf. He's stepping back from the BMT at the Wandin Fire Brigade, but he has served our community with distinction.”
“We see time and time again that the backbench has to follow orders. They can't get what they want on gambling reform. They have to take the sandwich from those. They have to follow the Prime Minister's lead on a bad budget, and they have to continue to follow the minister that is failing when it comes to social media.”
“You spend a lot of time rushing legislation through this House for political means, but doing your job is getting the legislation right. This legislation is not working. Young— A government member: How? How is it not working? I will explain to you if you stop interjecting and listen. Young children are still on social media.”
“The coalition is saying, 'Let's take the time to have an inquiry, to do the work, to understand why it has failed and why we can get it right the second time.' As the member for Berowra said, we don't want to be back here in six months' time having to amend it again. The detail was wrong the first time.”
“They weren't prepared to look at the detail and understand. Let's look at history. This legislation was introduced on Monday this week. This government wants to ram it through the house on Thursday. But let's look at December when the first legislation was brought in.”
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“Those opposite talk about these great outcomes, but within the review there was a really interesting observation made, about three or four times, by the handpicked reviewer of the minister: The review was constrained by significant data limitations caused by the short period of time between the commencement of the reforms and the review. The fix was in. The minister knows that the outcome of this legislation wouldn't be great. So what has he done? He's handpicked his own reviewer, ignoring departmental advice: 'Put the shortest amount of time in, before the data starts to show the real implications and unintended consequences of the legislation.' Those opposite pat themselves on the back and say what a great job they've done.”
“He said: … we'll go and check the records as to exactly how the employment process came to be. But my recollection is that the two reviewers were recommended in some form, whether it be written or verbal or whatever it was, by the department. But we'll go and check that. That's three written pieces of advice saying exactly the opposite. What is this government so keen to hide? It is the fact that their policies are not working. It is the fact that they're making it harder for Australians to earn a suitable wage to pay their bills. There is no Australian doing it better today than when this government came to power in 2022. You can tell the review was twisted.”
“The greater the involvement from you and your office in the procurement office, the greater the probity risk and increased risk of deviation from government policy that Ministers are not to be involved in the procurement process. The department has reviewed the publicly available material, and it is likely that some stakeholders would agree with Professor Bray's commentary or may raise concerns about the impartiality of his consideration of the issues for review. Classic Labor. They know the outcome. They ignore the department and put their own person in. Twelve months later, they're standing here talking about how great the review is and how lucky the Australian people are, that they've never had it better, never had it so good. How out of touch can you be? It gets worse. The minister is asked in estimates about all this written advice.”
“Why would he be so desperate to ignore departmental advice unless he was worried about the outcome? Let's be clear. This wasn't once. This wasn't a corridor conversation. This was in writing. What did the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations write to Minister Watt? They said: We recommend you do not personally act as the decision-maker for the procurement process, despite you having the power to do so. They also said: There may be probity and reputational concerns if you as the Minister are directly involved in the procurement process, as this may adversely impact on the impartiality and integrity of the review.”
“That was a very interesting motion from the member opposite. As the member for Riverina said, it has that important big title that sounds impressive: Secure jobs, better pay review . It's clear the government were required to do this review, but what those opposite don't want to talk about is how the reviewers were selected. This is a really important thing to understand, because when you're forced to do a review and you're not confident about the outcome what do you want to do? You want to make sure that you have control of those that are doing it. Normally, what would happen is the department would put suggestions for the reviewers forward. That is the traditional process. However, under FOI we know that Minister Watt himself took control of who would do the review. Why would he do that?”
“So many in Casey and so many across the country—and I was just discussing with the member for Indi, who was impacted; I give my condolences to her—know that police officers volunteer; they are football club presidents and Rotary Club presidents. We know that many in the community are heartbroken. I know many of the officers all across Victoria are heartbroken. I send my respects and my condolences to all Victoria Police officers. I thank you for your service, and I ask you to stay safe as this man is brought to justice.”
“This week, the hearts of our nation and all in my home state of Victoria broke with the loss of two Victoria Police officers who died performing their duty to keep our community safe. I want to pay tribute to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, who was 59, had been in Victoria Police since 1987, and was planning for his imminent retirement, and also to Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, who was 35 and had joined Victoria Police in 2018. He was on a temporary assignment in Wangaratta and had just purchased his first home, in Melbourne. I offer my deepest condolences and sympathies to their families, and thank them for their sacrifice to our community. All across the nation, police officers not only keep us safe; they are an integral part of our community.”
“And the saddest part about this spin and lack of delivery is that the Australian people are paying the price. My community in Casey, and communities all across the country, are paying the price for the failures of the Albanese Labor government. It's only going to get worse and worse as they continue to fail to deliver for all Australians.”
“The Prime Minister and the Treasurer have spent so long here in this House—either as staffers or as members of parliament, they have been here their whole lives—that they think that playing these games, stealing ideas from the coalition and rebadging them will be the solution. Whether it's housing, whether it's energy or whether it's the cost of living, political spin in this House doesn't get it done. You have to make tangible differences. You actually have to change what is happening at the source. For three years, this government has failed—failed to address cost of living at the source, failed to address energy prices at the source and failed to address housing at the source. They continue to spin and spin, but time has run out. It will continue to run out.”
“We do know how loved and respected the former member for Deakin was by those opposite, so I'm sure they will continue to enjoy praising the former member for Deakin! I think the new member for Calwell will be up next. I'm going to look forward to his contribution paying respect and homage to that former minister. I know he was in this House in another role last term. I'm looking forward to that. It was great to be here yesterday when the Prime Minister paid so much respect to Michael Sukkar, the former coalition government and Prime Minister Morrison. That's the reality of this government. It is the Australian people that are being let down by their political spin.”
“It is proof that all this government can do is borrow coalition policies that were working, reheat them and put a new name on them. Again, it's all about spin, not about delivery. But the beautiful irony of that and the beautiful irony of the government wanting to bring on this motion is that, every time a member of the government, including the Prime Minister yesterday—I was in the House for this—praises their own scheme and talks about how great this scheme is, they are praising and giving credit to the former minister for housing, the former member for Deakin, the Hon. Michael Sukkar MP. I want to pay credit to Mr Sukkar, the former member for Deakin. This government is so impressed with his policy ideas that it has stolen them and it's now praising them.”
“Michael Sukkar MP, who was the Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer in the last coalition government. Again, let's call out the Minister for Housing. She talks about how the coalition didn't have a minister for housing in the last government. Awkwardly for her, I'm holding a press release from that Minister for Housing. I'm going to quote the then minister about the Liberal Party's First Home Loan Deposit Scheme: The Scheme will help first home buyers enter the property market sooner, by providing a guarantee that will allow eligible first home buyers on low and middle incomes to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent. That is literally the policy that the government has been praising today and yesterday.”
“She's out of ideas and she's prepared to say one thing six months ago and the complete opposite six months later. That is unbelievable. And it gets worse when we're looking at the code. In 2022, the ALP expanded the code. They put more regulation, more requirements, on housing. The code is now over 3,000 pages and references over 150 Australian standards, adding complexity to housing in 2022 and taking coalition policy in 2025 and rebadging it as their own—a complete admission of failure by this housing minister and this government. They have made it harder for Australian people to buy a new home, by making it harder to build a home. We then move to what we're talking about here, the homeowners scheme—like all good policies from the ALP, taken from the coalition. I want to read from a press release from the Hon.”
“But the other thing about the National Construction Code—let's look at what the Minister for Housing said when the coalition announced the policy during the campaign this year. It was 'a blunt force instrument', and there was concerns if you needed to address 'urgent safety and consumer issues'. The member for Chifley, who was a member of the executive at the time and no longer is, accused the opposition of condemning Australians to live in 'shoddy' homes that could result in a 'Grenfell Tower inferno'. So six months ago we had the Minister for Housing and a member of the executive criticising this policy, saying it was going to lead to shoddy homes and there could be safety issues and consumer issues—criticising it outright. Six months later, apparently it is the solution and it is great. That tells you two things about this minister.”
“They've literally taken the coalition policy, fabricated a three-day talkfest that was a productivity roundtable, then became an economics roundtable and went back to being a productivity roundtable when the Prime Minister flexed his muscle because the Treasurer was getting a little bit ambitious about his leadership opportunities. This was all so they could announce a coalition policy as their own. We knew they were going to announce it as their own, because of those pesky leaked Treasury documents a week and a half before that had gone to the cabinet and had this as one of the announcements afterwards. One of the big questions is: who was actually leaking that from the cabinet? Who wanted the Australian people to know that the fix was in?”
“Under this government, we are going backwards. The target was marginal—about 40,000 homes extra a year to achieve that—and they are failing. They are failing because it is all about spin for this government. We've got to the new parliament, and this government are completely out of ideas and need to take coalition policy and rebadge it as their own. In fairness—I'll get to it—they did the same thing last term. It's politics 101 for the Prime Minister. They've announced the freezing of the National Construction Code. It's a good announcement—credit is it's due—but, as they say, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. During the campaign, the coalition announced that we wanted to freeze the National Construction Code.”
“Let's look at some of the facts about the housing policies and the delivery—the most important thing—for the Australian people on housing under this government. Their big announcement was their target of 1.2 million homes. They talk about that 1.2 million a lot. What they don't talk about is the fine print: 'by 2029'—over five years, over a long period of time. They don't talk about that, because the 1.2 million sounds impressive. There are a few problems with this 1.2 million target. It's a marginal increase on what was actually being delivered under the coalition, so it's actually not that ambitious at all. Let's look at the facts the Minister for Housing and the government don't like. Under the coalition, 200,000 homes per year were being built. Under the Albanese Labor government, 170,000 homes per year are being built.”
“There is no doubt that housing is the biggest issue for young people in my community of Casey and all across the country. It is harder today to buy a house as a first home buyer than it's ever been. But, unfortunately for the Australian people, for young people, like in so many other policy areas, the Albanese Labor government is big on spin but shallow on delivery. Even this debate we're having is not needed, because it's not new legislation coming in. It's just an opportunity to go through their talking points. This motion, like so many others, fits the standard definition of ALP policy and their housing policies: big on spin, low on delivery. I spoke about this last term. I was hoping that, with a new term, the government might change their ways, but it ticks the box of 'big number over a long period of time'.”
“So I urge the Minister for Sport, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and the government to continue to invest in women's sport. I'll back them up. The coalition will work with them. I will make sure that, on the coalition side, we put forward policies that make sure that our community infrastructure is at the level it needs to be at so that every young person has the opportunity to build friendships, learn life lessons and make sure that they are better people. When our young people are better, our communities are better and our nation is stronger.”
“So it's so exciting that we see them today. But we also need to acknowledge the fundamental reality of this explosion, whether it's football, netball or soccer. That reality is that the facilities have not kept up with the explosion in female participation, and we need to do more. I'll give the government credit. It was great to see the Play Her Way program for $200 million last term. It was not quite as good as the $250 million coalition policy, but I will give them credit. We need to keep doing more because we risk losing this opportunity. We have seen this growth in female sport. If the facilities do not match, if they don't have the facilities that they deserve, we risk losing this generation of sportspeople at 15, 16 or 17 years of age. It will be a loss to our great games and to our community sport.”
“Two weekends ago I was at Yarra Junction for the junior football boys and girls grand finals. Healesville had a couple of wins. I know the Wesburn under-17 girls had a great win. My good friend Matt Tilney's daughter Kaylen took home the premiership. That was a big day for their family. Across the community in Casey and across the country, we are seeing an explosion in young girls and women playing community sport. This is a great thing for our community. It's wonderful to see that they have the opportunity to learn defeat and to learn the joys of victory, hard work and coaching. I've spoken before about the opportunities I had growing up playing sport and how fundamental it is to who I am as a person. But I look back on my junior career and acknowledge that we didn't see young girls and young women playing.”
“On Saturday I had the absolute privilege of going to the local women's football grand finals with my daughter. Firstly I want to congratulate the senior women's team from the Mooroolbark Football Club. Three premierships in a row—what an achievement. Congratulations. I want to send my commiserations to the women's team from Montrose, who played in that grand final and showed great spirit. Congratulations to them on making the grand final. To the Coldstream women's team, who unfortunately lost on the day, turn up next year. I know Maddy will have them running hard in preseason and looking to go one better next season. Good luck. To the Belgrave South women's team and also the Belgrave South veterans women's team, congratulations on making the grand final. Hopefully you can go one step further next year.”
“This is all about the leadership ambitions of the Treasurer and about the Prime Minister defending his legacy and trying to serve as long as he can. The sad part about this internal focus from this out-of-touch government is that it is the Australian people that are paying the price. It is about those in the community in Casey and all across the country who don't have $9,000 tucked away to pay for a battery but are contributing to this $300 million of energy debt. They get $150, because this government is more focused on itself, and it does not have any solutions to the challenges that the Australian people face.”
“We have seen the division that has developed between the Prime Minister and the Treasurer. It's clear they are not on the same page. One day it's a productivity roundtable; the next day it's economic reform, and then we're back to productivity. At the start, everything's on the table. The next day, the Prime Minister rules out any tax changes until the next term; they're going to take it to the election. The only problem with that is, the next day, the Treasurer comes out and starts talking about wanting to tax EVs—contradiction after contradiction. The Treasurer was out on the weekend saying, 'This will inform our tax policy and our tax changes for the next three budgets.' Hang on—didn't his leader, the Prime Minister, just say they weren't going to change taxes?”
“You at home are struggling to pay your bill, we've got $300 million of energy debt in this country and this government, this Prime Minister, is so out of touch that he's saying to you, 'We will give you cost-of-living relief.' But guess what? You've got to pay $9,000. I'm sure plenty of people in the Prime Minister's electorate, in inner Sydney, might have $9,000 in the bottom cupboard that they're happy to pay with. But to, with a straight face, move a motion asking the Australian people to put $9,000 on the table to get $4,000 back as a cost-of-living relief measure—how out of touch is this prime minister, this treasurer, and this government? It's clear they have no agenda when it comes to the cost of living or to actually dealing with any of the economic challenges we face. We saw that at the productivity roundtable last week.”
“The member for Gilmore just talked about how the battery scheme will save Australians $4,000 on average, because it gives them 30 per cent off. Those were the member for Gilmore's words. I'll do a very quick calculation—maths wasn't my strong point; I'll be honest—to see what that means for a household that wants to take up that battery. I'm a fan of batteries—I think they have a role to play in our energy grid—but to couch it as a cost-of-living measure in this motion and hear the Prime Minister stand up and talk about it as cost-of-living relief is asking the Australian people, based on the member for Gilmore's own numbers, to put up another $9,000.”
“They know that every time they have a bill come in, they have to pay the power bill or they go to the supermarket. We have over $300 million of energy debt in this country—over $300 million that Australians owe to their energy retailers because they can't afford to pay their bills. What is the government's solution to that crisis? 'We'll give you $150; with $150 the job's done, we've sorted it out, there is no more energy crisis and no issue for the Australian people.' You're going to get $150 off your energy bill; that's it. It's the No. 1 measure that they've got, handing back taxpayer money without actually dealing with the source of the issue. We then go to the second measure—the second of the two measures on the cost of living, which is supposedly the government's No. 1 priority. It's the battery scheme.”
“I have to be honest. When this motion came up, I was very happy to speak—the cost of living is a huge issue in my community—but, after I got the motion, I did get my team to double-check it. I thought that maybe the second part of the motion was missing—there are two notes pumping up their own tyres on the cost of living—but, no, the government are talking about how it's their No. 1 priority and they bring up two measures. That's it. That's all the government have to talk about when it comes to the cost of living for the Australian people. In many ways, this motion sums up everything about this government. It's symbolic. It talks a big game, but, when it comes to delivery, they're not there for the Australian people. My community knows that.”
“I'll continue to hold this government to account to make sure that they are actually delivering, not just rebadging coalition policies, although, as they say, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. It was disappointing that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer felt that they needed to run a three-day roundtable as cover for announcing a coalition policy as their own, but, as long as we're getting prices down, we will take that. There is much to do. I'm looking forward to continuing to deliver today and into the future in this term parliament for my community.”
“We have plenty of work to do in this place to ensure future generations have the same opportunities I did, and I will work hard every day to ensure my children and my children's children grow up in a beautiful, prosperous Australia. When we talk about our future generations, there is not one thing that is more important. There are many things we need to do to ensure that they have that future, but the consistent theme that comes through for our younger generation is access to housing. We need to make sure that, in Casey, across Victoria and across Australia, we have the opportunities to deliver housing for them at an affordable price so they can start their dreams with their families and own their little part of Australia.”
“In peri-urban, regional and rural towns, these volunteer community groups really are the heart of the community and give so much back. I'm glad that we can support them in a little way to continue to do the work that they do for our community. I love my community, and I'm looking forward to continuing to serve as their local voice in this place. I work every day to make sure our region gets the investment it deserves and remains the best place to live, work and raise a family. Australia is the lucky country. It's a place where I was able to make a life for myself and my family, regardless of postcode, income or circumstance. But, for many Australians, it doesn't feel so lucky anymore.”
“Those organisations were: Blairgowrie House Playgroup in Mooroolbark; the Koha Community Cafe in Warburton; the Wandin Seniors; the Upwey Fire Brigade; Healesville Interchurch Community Care Incorporated, more commonly known as HICCI; Belgravia Foundation, who run the Healesville Pool; the Millgrove Residents Action Group; Anchor Community Care in Lilydale; Yarra Valley ECOSS in Wesburn; Mums of the Hills in the Dandenong Ranges; Yarra Valley FM in Healesville; Veterans For Fishing; Kilsyth junior football club; and Treasuring Our Trees. I can't wait to see these grassroots projects come to life and continue to support our local community groups. I've had the opportunity to visit all of these community groups and see firsthand the impact they have on our community. They do so much to ensure that the fabric of our community gets stronger.”
“Whether it was to purchase new equipment or provide training to upskill and grow the volunteer base, I was proud to support so many local volunteers who give so much of their time to make our region even stronger. They do it because they love our community and they want to give back. I'm excited that an additional 14 local groups will receive grants of between $2,500 and $20,000 help deliver projects that will benefit our wider community through round 9 of the Stronger Communities Program.”
“I want to take a moment to commend all the CFA units across Casey who were commended for their work in the June storms of 2021, volunteers that put their lives on the line in the Dandenong Ranges, the Upper Yarra, the Yarra Valley and our suburban areas to make sure our community was safe. I know and they know that reliable communications are important every day but are so crucial when things go wrong and, unfortunately, they so often do in our community. I was also determined to deliver for the thousands of volunteers in my community. Through my local Stronger Communities Program and volunteer grants we delivered funding for 95 community organisations across Casey.”
“We also had wins to improve local connectivity. Working collaboratively with the Minister for Communications to make sure our community was not overlooked, I advocated for improved telecommunications in our community. It was fantastic that Lilydale benefited from improved coverage. However, it was disappointing that towns in dangerous black spots in the Dandenong Ranges and the Upper Yarra missed out. I will continue advocating for the telecommunications our community deserves right across the electorate, particularly as we come into this time of needing emergency services. There are a lot of emergencies in Casey, whether they be fires, floods or storms.”
“We as a community also achieved so much together in the last parliament. We saved $20 million in funding from the previous Liberal government for the Montrose intersection upgrade. I am pleased to see that the work has now been completed and that this important road safety project has been delivered for our community. We also saved $20 million in funding to upgrade the Maroondah Highway and Killara Road intersection at Coldstream. Despite the previous Liberal government committing funding for the project over six years ago, state and federal Labor governments have stifled the project and have continued to delay the project. It's time to get on with the job and upgrade the Maroondah Highway and Killara Road intersection. I will keep working with the Coldstream community to get this project done.”
“They told the local paper: Healesville has an appropriate location with connected services and has a huge need, Healesville will be the location chosen. They even posted it repeatedly on social media, so you can understand why people in Healesville are feeling misled. They were told one thing by Labor before the election, and now they are missing out on the quality health care that Labor promised them. During the campaign the Liberals and I committed to an urgent care clinic in Healesville because the need there is real, and I know this from listening to our community and my family's lived experience. Our community campaign is not over. Together we'll keep pushing for better health care, and I'll continue to be a strong local voice here in parliament working for every part of our region.”
“I welcome this progress but it doesn't go far enough, because while a clinic in Lilydale is a step forward, it doesn't do much for the families in Healesville, the Upper Yarra or other rural parts of Casey. These community members face long travel times and limited access to health care. What makes this even more frustrating for these communities is that Labor knows our communities need better access. During the election Labor's endorsed candidate said more than once that Healesville would be the location for an urgent care clinic. This was after the Prime Minister and the minister for health had said it would be in Lilydale. In an online candidates' forum their candidate clearly stated that an urgent care clinic would be located at the Healesville hospital.”
“My commitment to you is that I'll continue to advocate and I'll continue being a strong local voice in this parliament for our community. Last term I started a petition with my community calling for an urgent care clinic in the Yarra Ranges. Thousands of locals added their names, and I stood in this place and brought local voices to the federal parliament. I'm pleased that together we had a win for our community. The government has finally now committed to delivering an urgent care clinic in the Yarra Ranges, and recently I received confirmation that the clinic will be established in Lilydale. It's great that the government has finally listened to us. It's a real credit to our efforts—every person who signed the petition, who spoke up and who shared their story.”
“I am proud that today young girls, like my own daughter, have the same opportunity to participate in sport, make new friends and get involved in their community. They can learn the values of hard work, training, taking advice from their coaches—the pain of defeat but also doing the hard work to improve and the sweet taste of victory from that hard work. I am disappointed that the Labor government did not match my commitments for our community and at this point they won't be going ahead. But the need for these local projects is important, and it doesn't stop once the election is decided, because our community deserves improved access to health care. We deserve safer local roads, we deserve reliable telecommunications and we deserve upgraded local infrastructure and facilities.”
“This included improving local health care, funding for sealing Yarra Ranges dirt roads to help end the days of dust, potholes and dangerous driving conditions, as well as boosting local telecommunications resilience with battery back up for telecommunication towers and generator upgrades. I also worked closely with our local sporting clubs to deliver the infrastructure they need and deserve. In my first speech I spoke about the importance of community sport in shaping who I am today. Involvement in grassroots local sport gives you a sense of purpose and can change lives. My commitment to important upgrades at several local clubs was about improving and building on that strong community spirit that is fostered in our clubs as well as to support increased female participation.”
“We had hundreds of people who gave up so much, from putting up signs in their property and listening to our community and supporting me at listening posts to handing out on election day. Thank you for believing in me and also the Liberal Party and our cause. At a local level, we made some really important commitments that an elected Liberal government would have delivered. I spent the past three years out in my community speaking to locals where they were, either doorknocking their homes or listening to them at the local shops. My plan was centred around providing solutions to some of the challenges we face in our community. I'm pleased that my positive plan resonated with the community.”
“As you know, Deputy Speaker, none of us stands alone in this House. There are many who support us on the journey to this House and the journey to continue to serve our communities in this House. Firstly, to my family—my wife, Rachel, and my two children: I couldn't do what I do serving our community without you. Thank you for your unconditional love and support. To my executive committee, the campaign team and my EO staff: thank you for your support, your advice and your guidance. To our dedicated local Liberal members as well as community supporters who believed in me and our party's values: thank you for giving your time, your most precious asset, to our cause. Our campaign was a local grassroots campaign.”
“Others reach out with ideas and suggestions on how things could be done better by the federal government. My commitment to my community is that I'll be a voice in this place for all, regardless of how you voted. I'd like to acknowledge the seven other candidates who nominated for Casey at the election and commend them on the campaigns that they ran. Our democracy is something to treasure, and one of the key things that makes it so strong is the independence of the AEC. I thank the hardworking AEC staff for their work in the 2025 federal election, because to vote in this country with the added confidence that the outcome will be fair is a privilege we should never take for granted. I'll work hard everyday for all the residents of our community. I'd like to thank people who have and who continue to support me.”
“It's an honour to stand here today after being re-endorsed by my community as their local voice in the Australian parliament. I'd like to begin by thanking the community of Casey for placing their trust in me to serve for a second term as their community representative. Each time I stand to speak as the federal member for Casey, I'm reminded of my community who gave me the responsibility and privilege of being a strong local voice in this place. To represent my home and community in the Australian parliament is a privilege and an honour that I will never take for granted. The greatest part of this job is the ability to help people when they need it the most. Locals who call or visit my office are often feeling vulnerable and in need of assistance with navigating government departments and complex bureaucracies.”
“These awards are so important because these volunteers do so much. They are so humble. They don't want praise. They don't want recognition. Every time one of these award winners receives it, they say someone else is more deserving. But they are deserving. They give so much to our community, and we need to and we should celebrate them. Thank you to all the previous winners. I look forward to celebrating with all of those volunteers later this year.”
“Whether it's a tireless volunteer, a grassroots organisation or a quiet achiever who goes above and beyond, our volunteers deserve to be celebrated. It's an opportunity to think about the people in your life: RSL members, Rotary members, men's sheds, Probus, a sporting club, the CWA or perhaps someone who volunteers with our emergency services, works with animals or supports our young people. It could be someone who helps keep local organisations running or otherwise goes out of their way to support others in need and make our community stronger. If someone comes to mind, I encourage you to put their name forward and nominate them for the 2025 Casey Volunteer & Community Awards. I'm looking forward to seeing the room packed with volunteers and community groups at the awards this November.”
“I wish the Mooroolbark Girl Guides all the best with their fundraiser, and I can't wait to hear about the experience at the New South Wales jamboree. Events like this wouldn't be possible without the hardworking volunteers and families who give so much to ensure the smooth running of local community groups. In Casey, we are fortunate to have many local volunteers and community groups who give so much without ever asking for anything in return. To recognise their dedication, I'm pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the 2025 Casey Volunteer & Community Awards. These awards are an opportunity to recognise the outstanding individuals and groups who make our community stronger and more connected through their service.”
“Saturday night was a perfect night for a run around Kiloran Park in Mooroolbark with the Mooroolbark Girl Guides. I was glad that my kids and I could join the guides for a two-kilometre run as part of their Ranbooree Fun Run to raise funds for the girls to get to the international jamboree event in New South Wales. The two-kilometre run was nothing for guide parent Chris, who ran 100 kilometres on the day, passing every guide hall in the Yarra Ranges, including Mooroolbark, Lilydale, Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction, Healesville, Montrose and Mount Evelyn. He also stopped at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery and the Silvan Football Netball Club. I'd like to congratulate Chris on his huge efforts to get help to the girls so they can get to the jamboree.”
“With Jill's guidance, students learn about sustainability, growing fresh produce, taking care of animals and looking after the school grounds—all vital life skills for the Yarra Valley. It was great to see the tree-planting day sponsored by local organisations Yarra Valley Toyota and Lilydale Bunnings. Thank you to farmer Jill and principal Judith Martin for organising this great annual event and for your commitment to ensuring students have the skills to care for our environment for years to come.”