Tuesday, 3 February 2026

 Pauline RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (19:32): I am very pleased to take the opportunity to thank some of the extraordinary members of the Cranbourne community who have assisted in the response to these terrible bushfires that have been afflicting this state this summer. I would like to start by firstly thanking Operation Veteran Assist and John Wilson, Drew Maddison, Lee Whitty, Eamon Hale and Stuart Couch, a man whose humility means he kept on insisting that the other names went before his. I would like to thank them for the work that they have done in going to the firegrounds. There is of course our local CFA. As always I am grateful to Cranbourne CFA, and to Mitchell Newman and to the team: thank you for your sacrifice. Our SES have been working tirelessly. the Cranbourne SES is a beautiful new facility that is bursting with amazing volunteers, and I am incredibly grateful to them. And there are the extraordinary Sikh Volunteers. We know they are in the member for Hastings’ electorate, but so many of them live in my electorate and so many of them are the pride of Cranbourne as well. So to Jaswinder, Manpreet and all of the crew: thank you for your diligence in making sure you had access to the firegrounds and for the care. I am so pleased to hear them acknowledged so fulsomely across the chamber today.