CHERRYBROOK CHINESE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Mr O'FARRELL (Northcott) [5.58]: Cherrybrook is one of Sydney's fastest growing suburbs. It is split between the electorates of Northcott and The Hills, although I am hopeful that in the forthcoming redistribution Cherrybrook will be allocated to a single electorate. As members of Parliament, we all come into contact with many community groups. It has been my great pleasure, in the short time I have served in this place, to come into contact and develop a relationship with the Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association. This association, formed some years ago, has a membership of 765, which is an increase from 591 12 months ago. The Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association has six goals: to foster a mutual understanding amongst the people of various communities; to encourage members to take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community; to promote Chinese culture, education and ethics; to encourage young people to develop good citizenship, leadership and public awareness; to provide a forum for the open discussion of matters of mutual interest, interchange of information and the personal development of all members; and to promote the ideals of multiculturalism and interracial harmony in the community.
Those goals are worthy of the finest community group. James Chang, President of the association since 1994, is ably assisted on the committee by a number of people including: Stephen Law, Vice-President; Wilson Tong, JP, Vice-President; Margaret Mah, Secretary; Kam-Wing Wong, Assistant Secretary; Norman Wang, Treasurer; Phillip Sun, Assistant Treasurer; Henry Chuah, sports representative; David Chu, social and welfare representative; the Reverend Charles Cheung, member; May Ng, education representative; and Graeme Lee, public relations. James Chang is also well supported by his wife. The women's group of the association operates to promote friendship and communication amongst women in the neighbourhood and to encourage the integration and participation of members in the wider community.
In March this year the group held its first annual general meeting and Mary Ann Law and Sue Yee were given leadership for the current year. The seniors group carries out many activities and organises outings for the aged members of the Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association. The President of that section of the association is Clement Yee. The association involves itself in many cultural, social, educational, welfare and community activities. For instance, it participates strongly in the local school communities of John Purchase primary school, Cherrybrook public school where Mr Y. Y. Chan serves on the school council, and Cherrybrook Technology High School where the Reverend Charles Cheung serves on the school council. The association stages a very popular and successful lantern night and food fair at Cherrybrook each year and not even rain keeps the Cherrybrook and surrounding communities away. The Cherrybrook association also participated last year in the Rotary-organised Expo 95, designed to build community spirit within Cherrybrook.
Mr Henry Chuah represents the community on the management committee of the Cherrybrook
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Community Centre where some of these events are staged. The association also hosts an annual Chinese New Year dinner. I was pleased that at the dinner this year the Federal member for Berowra, who is now Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Philip Ruddock, and I were both able to be present to lend our support to this important local community. But the association also provides other services to its members. The association runs a Chinese language school to ensure that the Chinese language is promoted within the Australian Chinese community. That school is supervised by principal Mrs Lynne Chen and the education committee.
A badminton club is affiliated with the Sydney Badminton Association, and other sports and recreations including mah-jong are actively enjoyed. Like any good association looking after its members, the Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association has also negotiated member discounts with more than 16 local businesses ranging from the Kwangtung Palace Restaurant, Hornsby, through to the Love All Tennis Shop at the Macquarie centre. I was honoured to host members of the association on a tour of Parliament House in February this year and I am hopeful that many more such tours will be conducted. It is important that all Australians understand our system of Government and are familiar with institutions like Parliament.
Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association does not involve itself in politics, either local, State, Federal or international. There can be no better tribute to the association than the high regard in which it is held by the Australian representatives of both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. I have attended functions hosted by both Governments at which the association was honoured. Within Australia, the association simply seeks to deal with governments on the basis of what is best for its members and their communities. To this end they are currently negotiating for a local meeting hall within the Cherrybrook area, and in this task they have my full support.
In 1995, under the former Fahey Government, the Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association received a grant, through the community development program, from the Ethnic Affairs Commission. That grant enabled the association to employ a part-time social worker, Polly Chan, to assist in promoting the participation of ethnic Chinese in community activities and to develop social structures to meet the special needs of the Chinese community, with particular attention to women and senior citizens. It is regrettable that the grant was not renewed this year. The second Carr budget scrapped the program under which the grant was made. This amounts to more than $2 million in cuts in ethnic communities funding imposed by the State Labor Government. This program run by the Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association was worthwhile. It sought to assist greater integration of Chinese Australians into their local community and it deserved to continue. I strongly urge the Government to review its approach to this area generally, and to reverse its decision not to renew funding for Polly Chan's position.