STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr DAVID SMITH (Bean—Government Whip) (13:34): Twenty years ago, a young Canberra woman told her parents she wanted to work in aged care. They tried to talk her out of it. 'You'll never meet anyone your own age,' they said. 'Nobody ever gets better. You won't make any friends.

It's hard work and a hard life.' Celeste went anyway. It began with a week's placement at Goodwin Village Farrer, in my electorate. She spent the week listening to residents' stories, and never quite shook it.

A few years later, she rang Goodwin and asked if they had anything going. Since then she has been a carer, a kitchen assistant, an activities officer, a team leader and a day-club coordinator. Today she is the Lifestyle Coordinator at Goodwin Village Ainslie, where residents hear her laugh before they see her.

Her parents were wrong on every count. She made friends, some of them in their 90s. Her residents may not get better—but their days do, because she is in them.

And the hard work turned out to be a good life. Ask Celeste what she remembers most, and it isn't the awards. It's the little moments.

Aged care runs on people like Celeste. That is why this government has funded the lifting of aged-care wages and made it a priority. Celeste, thank you for 20 years of saying yes.