CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms KARA COOK (Bonner) (17:11): In the heart of Bonner are two incredible groups supporting our local seniors: the Wakerley Walkers and the Gumdale Goldies. Starting after COVID lockdowns, local mum Brooke saw that many senior neighbours were struggling with isolation and loneliness. From a simple idea grew the Gumdale Goldies.

It's a group built on connection, community and care. One of the many activities to come from the Gumdale Goldies is the Wakerley Walkers. Since their first walk on 21 October 2021, they have brought locals together each week for fitness and friendship.

There are currently around 15 walkers who walk about four kilometres through the local community before returning for a well-earned coffee and catch-up at the end. Together, the group has walked on 212 days, completed more than 1,300 walks covering over 4,800 kilometres and taken an incredible 6.8 million steps. I had the pleasure of congratulating one of their members, Heather.

She is the fourth walker to reach the incredible milestone of 100 walks—and that was great to celebrate with all the walkers as well as the Gumdale Goldies at their recent fifth birthday celebration. Congratulations to Heather and to every member of this group. Thank you for all you do to keep our seniors active and also give them companionship in our local community.

Eight hundred thousand—that's how many Australians have said 'yes' to free TAFE, 'yes' to learning a trade, 'yes' to a new career and 'yes' to getting better skills for a better job. On National TAFE Day we celebrate every student who has backed themselves and taken up that opportunity. Since Labor introduced free TAFE, there have been more than 130,000 enrolments in Queensland and more than 45,000 completions.

For some Queenslanders, free TAFE means saving thousands of dollars. For others, it means being able to study in the first place. When you remove course fees, you remove one of the biggest barriers standing between someone and their next opportunity.

You turn that thought of 'I'd love to do that' into 'I can do that.' What a great achievement for so many Queenslanders. That is exactly why Labor has made free TAFE permanent, with 100,000 places from 2027. On National TAFE Day, I say thankyou to every student, every teacher—including my mum, who taught at TAFE for 40 years—and every person in Bonner who loves free TAFE just as much as we do.