Mrs CROSIO —I rise today to commend and congratulate the Australian Chinese and Descendants Mutual Association Inc., particularly their President, Dr Hoc Ku Huynh, and his fine-working committee. I do this because in the short 14 years that this organisation has been going as a charitable organisation they have established for themselves a welfare service, they have brought in a Chinese language school, they have built a child-care centre and they are now in the process of building an aged persons hostel.

In relation to the aged persons hostel, we have provided through government something like $1.3 million. They have provided nearly $800,000. This group is possibly in dire need of another $100,000 or $200,000 to complete that building. I know they have raised this matter with the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (Mr Ruddock). I would like to commend that application, and I report to the minister for immigration that I support the application from this wonderful group.

They are a self-help group. They did not come to this government to ask for assistance and help when they formed their welfare centre to provide assistance to so many people. They are a group that have seen a need and have taken the initiative. They have certainly worked very hard, both in fundraising and in involving the community at large. I believe that, if other groups were able to achieve what this small group have achieved in such a short time, we would be standing up continually and praising them. Again I say to the government: look carefully and fondly at this group and, most particularly, support this group so that we can see this aged persons hostel opened in the very immediate future.