Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown)— Once again, Charlestown Electorate locals have demonstrated their commitment to the environment and building a healthier, happier world.

On 6 March, thousands of volunteers descended on seventy-five sites across the City of Lake Macquarie for Clean Up Australia Day—the highest number of locations registered in any LGA in the Hunter region. Amongst the 2.9 tonnes of rubbish collected were tyres, care seats and wooden pallets.

Robyn Simpson, a Dudley Public School P&C member and a committed environmentalist with outstanding organisational skills, led 30 volunteers in cleaning up a 1.4-kilometre stretch. They collected six bags of rubbish—mostly non-biodegradable products, such as plastic wrapping, cigarette butts and polystyrene. Paul Hubbard, a Redhead Sustainable Neighbourhood Group member who served as a site leader at Redhead Beach, had a similar experience, with lots of plastics in the area.

Unfortunately, some events in the area were postponed due to the weather, but intrepid organisers have been working to reschedule. It's wonderful to see so many people coming together to preserve and protect our beautiful environment. My thanks to Robyn, Paul and every organiser and volunteer for making the day such a success.

A Community Recognition Notice is an opportunity for an MP to submit a short statement praising the work of an individual or group in the local community. If you have any ideas about people I can recognise with a Community Recognition Notice, please email and let me know!