SURF LIFE SAVING
November 18, 2013
Mr CHESTER (Gippsland—Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence) (13:58): Across Australia surf-lifesaving clubs have started their seasons. In Gippsland we started last weekend with our junior program called Nippers. I would like to congratulate all the young surf-lifesavers right across Australia for getting involved in this outstanding program. It is one of the great community organisations in our nation.
The Nippers movement provides young people with a real path towards leadership roles in their communities, not just within their surf clubs. It also provides them with an opportunity to learn first aid, teamwork, valuable life skills and how to overcome challenges.
I wish all the Australian Nippers and their families every success this season. I note for the benefit of the House that many members of parliament are actually members of their surf-lifesaving clubs, including the Prime Minister at Queenscliff. There is a Parliamentary Friends of Surf Lifesaving, which the member for Kingsford Smith and the member for Corangamite are very keen to support and reconstitute in this the 44th Parliament. So I would urge all members who are interested in supporting the Surf-Lifesaving clubs to get behind the parliamentary friends group. It has enjoyed bipartisan support in the past and it is good to see the member for Kingsford Smith and the member for Corangamite taking up the cudgels again on behalf of Surf-Lifesavers right across our nation.