Ms GAMBARO (9:43 AM) —The community response to the government's budget allocation of $20 million for the National Community Crime Prevention Program can be taken as encouraging proof that this program has struck a chord with grassroots Australia and will be embraced positively by the community. The reason for the response is that, undoubtedly, it is seen as a crime prevention campaign that starts in the right place—at the grassroots level in communities themselves. Local grassroots community organisations in my electorate of Petrie are already signalling their approval and support, and they are ringing up to say that they think the program is exactly what is needed to fight crime before it begins. They are also thanking the Australian government for recognising the contribution that their organisations are already making towards the safety and security and the quality of life of the communities they serve.

These organisations are the backbone of this nation. They are volunteer groups who look after the young and the lost, the elderly and the lonely, the vulnerable and the needy, and the hungry, the homeless and the people at the margins of our communities and society. They are worthy organisations, and they are running church welfare groups, our neighbourhood drop-in centres and our parish soup kitchens. They are the local sports groups volunteers who devote their time after work and their weekends to keep young people motivated and out of trouble. They are the caring friends who look after each other's property and the wellbeing of their elderly neighbours who may be living on their own.

They are organisations like the Red Cross; Neighbourhood Watch; junior soccer, football and swim clubs; and church based organisations like Aspley Care, which operates out of St Dymphna's Catholic Church. I have sent my own children there. Father Peter Luton of St Dymphna's was one of the first callers I heard from last week when the government's National Community Crime Prevention Program was announced and applications were called for in a series of advertisements in the Australian. Father Luton personally embodies the qualities and commitments on which the National Community Crime Prevention Program depends and the reason it works. No-one is better placed to understand the grassroots situations that give rise to community crime, petty theft, vandalism and random violence—which this program will tackle—than Father Luton. Parishioners have been inspired and they are channelling all their energies into doing something about looking after others. There are people who are at the fringe, Father Luton says, who do not have food, clothes, shelter or somewhere to sleep. They are people who are most likely to be pushed into crime out of sheer necessity. I am not saying that they are criminals; I am saying that their situation will lead to crime in most cases.

This is a nation of caring people. The government acknowledges the contribution they make to our communities, and that is why we are making a $20 million investment in the ability to do so. I think this will be a terrific program and I look forward to working with organisations such as the Red Cross, the Rotary Club and other organisations that will make daily phone calls to local elderly residents living alone, to check on their security and safety. I am already continuing to work with these communities to further expand the program. (Time expired)