COVID-19
Ms KAIROUZ (Kororoit) (09:53): The Melton and Brimbank local government areas were the hardest hit with a number of COVID-19 cases. The way we did things locally was different and difficult. I know that everyone found this period extremely difficult, and so did I. I thank the Melton and Brimbank councils and every member of my electorate and surrounds for their extraordinary commitment and efforts over the past few months in supporting one another and heeding advice from the health experts and the chief health officer during this one-in-100-year pandemic. I thank all our health professionals, local police and frontline workers who helped to support my community. Thank you to all the teachers in government and non-government schools for their enormous efforts in coordinating homeschooling and to the parents whose efforts and patience were tested during this period. A big congratulations to every student, particularly the year 12 students, who have just completed their year 12 exams and are waiting to embark on the next phase of their lives.
I also thank the churches, temples, gurdwaras, mosques and other faith and community organisations that went to great lengths to provide free meals, care packs, financial support, masks, pastoral care, support and information during this period. I thank them for their leadership and support in helping share the advice they received from health experts to their respective communities. I acknowledge every small business in my electorate that faced a range of challenges and thank them for reaching out to me. I hope we were able to help in one way or another. Like every member in this place, I could not have done my job without the support and dedication of my electorate staff, so my biggest heartfelt thanks goes to them.