Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown—Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault)—Congratulations to the Environmental Health Team at Lake Macquarie City Council on receiving the 2024 Environmental Health Australia National Team Award. The National Environmental Health Team of the Year Award is for teams that have excelled in their roles or projects which have demonstrated outstanding service in the field of environmental health. The Lake Mac Environmental Health Team have developed innovative Hoarding and Squalor Framework, which addresses complex community issues with compassion—something which is all the more important since the pandemic saw cases of hoarding and squalor rise sharply and have remained higher ever since. Council's typical strategies for dealing with these sorts of issues, such as the issuing of fines and warnings, meet with limited success. Instead, the new strategy involves providing pathways for individuals to seek long-term solutions with health professionals, psychological services and community groups. Once again, congratulations to Manager Environmental Regulation and Compliance at Council Derek Poulton and his team on this fantastic award and helping to lead the way for other councils—more than fifty LGAs across have developed similar strategies. Bravo!

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!