CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr GREGG (Deakin) (09:52): Today I want to touch on some great organisations and people making a real difference in Deakin. My friend the member for Aston and I recently attended an All Stars Choir session in Bayswater North. The All Stars Choir has been around in various forms for decades, but they've experienced amazing growth in the last couple of years and now see about 60 participants at every session.

Every Wednesday morning, a group of professional Australian musicians volunteer their time and expertise to provide a live music experience for people with disability. The member for Aston and I had a fantastic time at these sessions, and I thank everyone for indulging my rusty, borderline-intolerable ukulele and vocals. Congratulations to everyone who showed up and joined in, and a special thank you to all the volunteers who put their time and energy into making these musical experiences so special.

Sticking with the choir theme, I also recently attended the 16th anniversary of the Stroke A Chord choir. This is a choir for people who have had a stroke and have aphasia, a communication difficulty often caused by stroke. As Secretary Barry Cole said when he invited me to this celebration, the members of Stroke A Chord may not be able to speak, but they can still sing.

I saw that first hand, and it was a remarkable experience. It's another example of the power of music to bring people together and provide a great experience. Thank you to Barry and everyone who welcomed me.

It was wonderful to celebrate with you. Finally, I would like to acknowledge Donna MacKinnon, who has been recognised as Volunteer of the Year at the Victorian Labor Party conference. Everyone in this House knows that we are here on the backs of great Australians who want to make a difference and who ask nothing in return for the hours and hours they give.

I have spent countless early mornings with Donna—and late nights—handing out and championing a variety of causes, as well as, of course, campaigning for the Labor Party over a number of years. She's someone who has got boundless energy. She is at every single event, every single doorknock and every single early morning train station.

She is a great representation of the soul of the Labor Party—and, I know, parties across the parliament and indeed independents as well. We really do need to remember that we stand here on the shoulders of fantastic Australians who want to make Australia a better place, and Donna McKinnon is the perfect example and really is incredibly deserving of the honour she's received in the Labor Party.

She'll be incredibly cross with me for mentioning her name in the parliament, but I think she deserves the recognition that we often get in lieu of those unsung heroes of our various movements. I think she is well deserving, whether she admits it or not. I'd like to thank her for everything she's done for me and for the Labor Party and for being such a great friend over a number of years.

Congratulations, Donna. I look forward to fighting the good fight with you for many years to come.