A sombre day yesterday reflecting on the many servicemen and women who have served our country in the line of battle.
There were around 3,000 people who gathered at the Albion Park RSL for the Dawn Service.
In my address to those gathered I observed on the appropriateness of holding services in the suburbs like this one, throughout the country.
The capital city services attract a lot of attention and a lot of visitors but it is from suburbs like this that young Australians left in their thousands. Many did not return. Lets pay tribute to them in memorials alongside the backyards from which they left.
Today week we announced plans to revitalise the netball courts at Fred Finch Park in Berkeley.
A ShortenLaborGovernment will commit $2 million towards upgrades.
The courts are used by 3000 members of the local association, the facilities however, are tired and in need of an upgrade. They do not comply with the current National Facilities Guidelines.
The upgrade of courts and lighting to a standard fit for the thousands who play here every week will also make it eligible to host state and national events.
Albo joined me, Sharon and Mike Freelander in Port Kembla this week to commit$50 million in investment to work on the completion of the long-stalled Maldon-Dombarton rail link.
Completing this key project, which is part-built, would provide a 35 kilometre rail link between Port Kembla and south-west Sydney.
This vital rail connection will help get freight of our roads and free up the South Coast line to ensure a faster trip to Sydney for commuters.
It is a sensible project, and Labor is committed to getting it finished.
I joined Sharon Bird this week to commit $11 million to expandFacility for Intelligent Fabrication and to establish a 3D BioPrinting Facility at the University of Wollongong.
We want to ensure we have a foothold in the traditional strengths of the Illawarra which is steelmaking and engineering.
We know that everything from the manufacture and fabrication of steel has to leap forward into robotics and high tech.
The collaboration of the University of Wollongong together with TAFE and Weld Australia will ensure our traditional strengths in steel manufacturing are taken to a new level.
Ed Husic came to town this week to announcea Shorten Labor Government would re-open the Centrelink and Medicare offices at Warrawong if elected.
Last June, the Liberals closed the office with absolutely no consultation. This was a massive slap in the face for locals who had previously campaigned for many years to get a Medicare office located in the area.
The Liberals decision has impacted on many members of Warrawong and the surrounding suburbs.
These suburbs are home to some of the most disadvantaged people in the Illawarra and many of these people have English as a second language which makes phone and internet contact difficult.
This local Centrelink will provide a crucial service supporting my electorates 22,000 recipients of the age pension; 10,000 recipients of the family tax benefit; and over 5,500 recipients of carers allowance.
A fantastic announcement today with Fiona Phillips, committing 1 million dollars towards building a new state of the art training, storage and administrative facility for the South Coast Surf Lifesaving branch.
This new facility would train surf lifesavers infirst aid, advanced resuscitation techniques and beach management.
Thenewfacility willbe a hub for training before each summer to make sure patrolling members on thebeach have the required skills to do their roles up and down our pristine South Coastbeaches over the summer months.
A vitally important announcement by Bill Shorten, Tanya Plibersek and Linda Burney today, makingpreventing and responding to family violence a national priority.
One woman a week is murdered by a current or former partner. Family violence hurts children and ripples through generations. This must change.
Labor commits to national leadership to address the shameful prevalence of violence against women and their children.
Labor will more than double investment in the Fourth Action Plan to prevent and respond to family violence, delivering record Commonwealth funding of over $660 million.
