CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr KHALIL (Wills—Assistant Minister for Defence) (16:51): I want to acknowledge the very strong community concern and actions about the proposed development on the former Nufarm factory site in the suburb of Fawkner, in my electorate of Wills. This is a contaminated site from when ingredients for pesticides, including Agent Orange, were manufactured on the site from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Over recent months, it's become very clear that local residents have made a point that this is unacceptable. They want answers. They want transparency.

They want confidence that community safety comes first. More than 560 local residents have now signed our petition opposing the proposal. This level of engagement reflects the strength of feeling right across the suburb of Fawkner.

I was at Fawkner Festa on Sunday, a great event, and the issue was raised again with me repeatedly by local residents. They're worried about the site's history, the potential risks and whether the community's concerns are being properly heard. Fawkner, a great suburb in the north of Melbourne, deserves confidence that any decisions affecting this suburb are based on rigorous evidence and public health is put first.

I'm going to continue to stand with my community and advocate for their concerns to be taken seriously throughout this process. Communities should never be expected to simply accept uncertainty when it comes to their health, their safety and their environment. I also last week had the opportunity to visit year 9 students at St Mary's College to take part in a civics class.

These are really important in being able to discuss our democracy with young students, who have many questions. They covered everything from social media bans, artificial intelligence, misinformation, right through to issues of racism and the future of our democracy. What stood out to me wasn't just the range of issues but the thoughtfulness of the discussion.

Year 9 is a tough year. It's usually right in the middle of high school. Some could say it's the year where kids are the most naughty, but actually this group was fantastic.

They really are grappling with complex challenges and issues very similar to the issues that we grapple with here in this place, so they ask the tough questions, much tougher than in question time, I can tell you that. They challenged assumptions and they were genuinely interested in finding solutions to the problems that we face today as a society. It was a reminder that civic engagement is alive and well amongst the next generation.

I was really heartened by that people have always fearmongered a bit about the next generation. It's always about, 'Oh, you know, in my day.' But no, these young people and the conversations I've had with students across my electorate leave me really optimistic that the kids will be alright. Our democracy is strongest when young people are informed, are engaged and are prepared to participate, and, based on the students I met at St Mary's, our future is in very good hands.