Grievance Debate

Backpacks 4 SA Kids

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:11): I am really pleased to have the opportunity today to talk about the important work of Backpacks 4 SA Kids, who have recently packed their 100,000^th bag. Before I get onto that, I do want to pay particular note to the fact that it is National Carers Week, and in parliament today we have dozens and dozens of guests who are representatives of carers associations and organisations, people who are and have been carers in South Australia doing tremendously important work for not just, in many cases, their loved ones but, in many cases, people who they had not had a prior connection with—terrifically important for our whole state and our nation.

There are 2.7 million carers across Australia and the role that they play cannot be understated in terms of how important it is. I am very pleased that during this National Carers Week, the Parliamentary Friends of Carers here in South Australia are giving recognition of this event with an event here in Parliament House. I acknowledge particularly from our side the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, who is the Liberal Party's co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Carers. From memory, I think the member for Adelaide is the other co-chair.

After grievances, I understand that our guests will be going to the Balcony Room. I encourage them all to look forward to that. The Balcony Room is my favourite room in this building. It is the government party room and being in the balcony room is a sign of better things to come from our side as we hope to be there again in two years for our party room meetings. It is one of the only rooms in this building where we can gather in large numbers and enjoy the natural light. So I think you will have a lovely time, and I am certain that the hospitality of the member for Adelaide and the Hon. Heidi Girolamo will be outstanding.

I imagine also that a number of the people in the gallery representing carer organisations would also have had a lot to do with Backpacks 4 SA Kids because, of course, Backpacks 4 SA Kids is an organisation that serves a lot of vulnerable people in our community. Some of those vulnerable people, at different points, will have ultimately had the support of carers as well.

I remember in my electorate of Morialta when we had those Hills communities that were so devastatingly impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires, all of the children in those primary schools in difficult circumstances—many of whose houses had burnt down, and indeed many of whom even if their houses had not burnt down were not able to be home for days or even weeks at a time—received backpacks from Backpacks 4 SA Kids. I remember the Hon. Michelle Lensink joining Rachael Zaltron OAM, the founder of Backpacks 4 SA Kids, in Lobethal—in what was then my electorate—to distribute a number of those backpacks, which was so gratefully appreciated.

One of the key things about the backpacks provided by Backpacks 4 SA Kids is not just the provision of useful materials—whether that be clothing, toys for the little ones, nappies, bathroom products or whatever else—it is the sense that each one of those backpacks has been packed by a volunteer and given love, and that love is transferred to the recipients of it. A lot of the time, government programs can pay for the provision of supplies or services to individuals in need, and they do and they must and that happens, but when you add on what the non-government organisations like Backpacks 4 SA Kids can provide it is that love, and often it is one of the deficits in the recipient of it.

It was not a celebration on Sunday when we gathered in the warehouse, it was a recognition of 100,000 backpacks. Eighty-six thousand children in South Australia, and obviously 14,000 people in connected situations—there is the Anchor Pack program, the Home Starter Pack program and the Christmas drive—have received a backpack. It is an indication of what more we need to do as a community, as a society, as a government/parliament and in our streets to help those who are in a vulnerable situation. It means there are 86,000 children who have been in a situation where a backpack has been needed.

The efforts of someone like Rachael—who was the founder in 2013, was awarded an OAM in 2020 and has been operating the work with the support of just a couple of staff and an army of volunteers—have been so commendable.

I really want to place on the record my congratulations. I am looking forward to the reception for those volunteers at Government House this afternoon recognising the work of Backpacks 4 SA Kids. To all the Morialta residents—who every single month donate goods, donate knitted products, donate all the things that come into our office that are then able to go into those backpacks with love—I thank all of them and remind everybody else that our office is a collection point, and we make big deliveries every month, so get on board.