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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-01 Daily Xml
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CHILDREN'S WEEK

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (15:34): Today I would like to talk about Children's Week, which is an annual event celebrated in Australia during the fourth week in October. Children's Week celebrates the right of children to enjoy childhood. It is also a time for children to demonstrate their talents, skills and abilities.

Designated by the nations of the world, Universal Children's Day calls society to a greater response to the plight of many millions of children around the world who are denied the basic necessities of a happy childhood, and the education to develop their capacities. It also calls on us in Australia to consider those conditions in our society which affect the lives and future of our children.

I would also like to draw to the house's attention the activities within the Light electorate relating to children, where considerable attention has been given to make a better place for our children. Not only have people in our electorate been active in providing comment on the new child development legislation but also in putting plans in place that are highly cognisant of contemporary research. I am also pleased to inform the house that there was, during Children's Week, an impressive community display in my office window which celebrated the week. I would like to thank the Elsie Ey and Gawler Children's Centres in Gawler for the display.

Furthermore, the Gawler community, through the Child and Youth Friendly Gawler project, will soon launch its bid to become a Child Friendly Community. I believe this is the first such community bid in this state. It is gratifying to see community groups, such as the Child Friendly Gawler Steering Committee, respond to the leadership and encouragement shown by this state government in putting children at the forefront of the community.

This community group has the potential to assist local and state government policy-makers and planners in understanding the importance of good child-friendly policy and in understanding how the physical, social and economic dimensions of the urban environment will contribute to the shaping of children's ability to form positive social relationships.

I would also like to mention an event held by the Dyslexia Action Group, Barossa and Gawler Surrounds (DAGBAGS). This group, which is run by Dr Sandra Marshall, seeks to make the region a dyslexic-friendly region by encouraging schools in the region to be dyslexia-friendly. The group recently hosted Mr Neil Mackay, who is an expert, and also the person who initiated the Dyslexia Friendly Schools concept in the UK. They asked him to address a workshop to help increase awareness and understanding of dyslexia, and particularly the impact on children and their learning.

The workshops held in the Gawler region attracted over 70 principals and school leaders, 35 schools, 270 teachers and 80 families. Mr Mackay provided practical classroom tips that were cost neutral and allowed underachieving students to reach their full potential. He also raised awareness of what it feels like to have dyslexia, and the importance of asking students for their feedback about the way they prefer to be taught and to learn.

A number of schools were involved on the committee, including Immanuel Primary School, St Brigids Primary School, Two Wells Primary School, Evanston Primary School and Angaston Primary School. DAGBAGS is acting on behalf of children with difficulties and does not represent the Catholic Education Office, independent schools or DECS, and is an independent committee working for our region. The concept of dyslexic-friendly schools advocates for all dyslexic children, regardless of which school they attend, and I commend the group for their work.

Last week I also had the opportunity to visit the UniHealth Playford North site, which is a federally-funded health practice run by the universities. The site in Munno Para West is located on the corner of Curtis and Peachey roads, and is under the clinical directorship of Dr Lorenzo Ponte. The practice manager is Mrs Shirley Giles, and, in addition to providing a practice manager, one of the things I saw last week was a mothers' group run by the Save the Children Fund.

Through the Save the Children Fund, this group seeks to bring in mums and make sure that they are aware of a whole range of access to education and other learning programs, and also health. By bringing mums together, it actually encourages mums to ensure that their children get a proper diet, it gives them a chance to talk about any problems with various workers at the centre and, more importantly, it is an early intervention program which seeks to support our young people.

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