STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr MATT SMITH (Leichhardt) (16:41): I rise today to recognise an extraordinary creative initiative emerging from Cairns: True Friends, a new theatre work by first-time playwright Aaron Lee. Aaron is a 28-year-old neurodiverse man with low vision who has spent the last six years developing his play, in collaboration with respected community theatre director Avril Duck.

The work speaks with authenticity, courage and hope, drawing on lived experience to tell a quirky and heartwarming story about the transformative power of friendship and the journey from isolation and depression towards confidence, purpose and possibility. True Friends is not simply a production; it's a bold reimagining of what theatre can be. Designed as an inclusive, community integrated model, the project invites people of all abilities to participate not only as audience members but as collaborators.

Local community members will be engaged as performers and makers, contributing to both the storytelling and the physical set. This vision stretches beyond Cairns. Following its premiere, the team aim to tour True Friends to regional communities right across Australia, creating access to high-quality, inclusive art experiences in places where such opportunities are often limited.

Accessibility is embedded. Each performance will include a tactile preshow experience, enabling people with low vision to engage directly with the set and deepen their connection to the story, an innovation that has been shaped by Aaron's own experience. I got to spend an hour with Aaron as he went over his vision, and it was, quite frankly, inspiring that this young man has taken it upon himself to be heard by all and sundry.