Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown—Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault)— Congratulations to Dudley Public School and St Mary's Primary at Warners Bay for sharing in the top honours at the Lake Macquarie School Environment Awards.

The two Charlestown Electorate schools were jointly chosen as winners in the annual competition, emerging from a crowded field of twenty schools that entered the annual competition across the city. Dudley Public's innovative renewable energy co-contribution program, which will soon see a 14kW solar energy system installed at the school, and the student-led Garbage Guardians initiative clinched its spot at the top, while St Mary's was recognised for water efficiency innovations and achievements reducing waste and energy use.

Congratulations to the school principals, Chad Tsakissiris of Dudley and Liz Starling of St Mary's, their staff and the students for working so hard to improve the environmental outcomes for their schools, reducing waste and electricity usage. Great work! Two more Charlestown Electorate schools were included on the winners' list, with Garden Suburb Public School securing the Ongoing Commitment Award and Charlestown South Public School winning the Encouragement Award.

It's fantastic to see such commitment to the environment from the next generation of Lake Mac locals.

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!