Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Ripon electorate

Martha HAYLETT (Ripon) (09:52): It has been a big fortnight in Ripon. Two weekends ago we saw over 10,000 people flock to the Clunes community for the annual Clunes Booktown Festival. Nick Bassett, Jacqui Horwood and the Creative Clunes board outdid themselves, with 135 booksellers, 34 marquees, 36 roving performers, dozens of volunteers and over $25,000 invested back into the local economy. It was a joy to help open the festival and celebrate the sponsors, volunteers, booksellers and writers who have made this event so special for 19 years now. We also celebrated the official opening of the brand new Beaufort CFA station and handover of their heavy tanker. Congratulations to Captain Tony Neville and members on this huge milestone. You now have the fire station, vehicles and equipment that you deserve.

Thank you to the grade 3 and 4 students at St Augustine’s Primary School in Creswick who invited me along to talk to them about my role as their local MP. Their teachers Michael Heenan and Celly Csorba are doing a tremendous job teaching them all about civics. Thank you for all the great questions. A big thankyou also to Jamie Dwyer and student leaders at the Woady Yaloak Primary School’s Snake Valley campus for showing me the huge upgrades that they have recently completed as part of their school’s $11 million transformation. And thank you to the team at the Ararat Early Learning Centre for hosting the Minister for Children and me, including to the amazing centre director Kerri Turner. Four-year-olds at the centre have kicked off their first term of pre-prep, thanks to our Labor government, and they are loving their 30 hours of free learning each week.