CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms TEESDALE (Bass) (16:51): Tonight I want to say two simple words to OzHarvest Tasmania: thank you. Thank you for the food that you rescue, the support you give to our local charities, and the dignity and care that you deliver with both. Last week I was lucky enough to be a guest at the OzHarvest CEO cook-off hosted at Design Tasmania, and it was an evening of pure joy.

Eighteen local leaders hung up their suits, put on the yellow aprons or the coveted black aprons, and set to work for the afternoon under the guidance of two of our absolute culinary legends in Tasmania, Matt Adams and Craig Will. All the food for the night was donated by local producers, and it was superb—as you would expect from Tasmania. Once the cooking was finished, though, was when the true magic started: people sitting together.

Volunteers, guests from local charities, the CEOs who did the cooking, local leaders, complete strangers from across northern Tasmania sat at two very long tables. It's amazing how quickly a table can turn into a community as people share food, tell stories and discover shared values. We had MC Susie Youssef keep the room laughing and lifted.

Spike Mason and Fiora filled the space with music that cut straight to the soul. There was laughter, food, music and shared stories, and that was magic. That evening—I will not be able to thank every person who took part, because it would take up all of my three-minute statement—was due to generosity and hard work, but it had impact.

Together, those 18 leaders raised more than $113,000. The beauty of OzHarvest is that every dollar donated equals two full meals. That means that one evening actually helped OzHarvest raise more than 226,000 meals for Tasmanians who are most in need.

Numbers can feel abstract until we start to picture the faces. They're families who are going to eat together, hopefully at long tables like we did, and children with full lunchboxes—relief at hand that is needed. To OzHarvest, to all the volunteers, to the charities and their volunteers, and to the partners who made that night possible, thank you for showing what people can do when they work together.

Thank you for rescuing good food from landfill and ensuring that it goes exactly where it is most needed.