Dr SOUTHCOTT (9:54 AM) —I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the excellent pastoral work being done at St Mary’s Church in the electorate of Boothby. Led by Father John Stephenson, St Mary’s Church has long had a tradition of reaching out to lower income earners and helping in this very important area. They have the Picket Fence, which has long been a place where people who are on their own can come to meet. More recently, through Work for the Dole they established the Big Shed. This was constructed with the help of nearly 40 participants, and constructing the shed provided fantastic training and experience in the building trade for those people. It was supervised and coordinated by Geoff Revill, from Workskil, and John Brokensha, who has been looking after the project. I recently attended the first birthday of the Big Shed. It runs a jobbing shop which makes and sells woodwork products.

When you see the positive impact that the Work for the Dole project has had on people’s lives, you understand the real difference that this is making. I pay tribute to the really important work that they are doing. It is often said that, when they retire, men go and work in their shed. One of the problems with this is that it can be a solitary activity. The great thing about what St Mary’s Anglican Church is doing here is that people, rather than doing this work in their own shed, come together and enjoy some fellowship. It is having a positive impact on the lives of many residents of Boothby.