Tuesday, 14 May 2024

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (14:43): I was recently privileged to join the Community Advocacy Alliance, or the CAA. They are a terrific group of people that were established in 2015. It originated from the partnership of former police chief commissioner Kel Glare and a former police inspector Ivan Ray. These two men, although they allege they are retired, continue to passionately believe in and advocate for the values of programs benefiting youth. Kel Glare introduced the police in schools program, which I think is something that we should still be doing today, and Ivan Ray introduced the Blue Light disco. The CAA evolved from this partnership, and it has continued to grow. We spoke about all the different needs in our community, and I really appreciated their practical solutions, which can really help with different things we are struggling with today. I do not have time to go through the different experiences of all of the different members, but they have different experiences: lawyers, police, drug and alcohol specialists, detectives and parents of children that have really suffered because of different crimes. Their work spans across various categories, including legal, law enforcement, mental health, military veterans, road safety, illicit drugs and corruption. It is a rare privilege to have so many people together, and I would encourage everybody in this chamber to meet with them and ask for their advice on different issues.