Page 2306 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 1 August 2017
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The Greens believe that greyhound racing is an outdated industry that relies on animal exploitation. Our concern has always been for the welfare of greyhounds in the ACT, and I will not be intimidated or silenced by the bullying tactics of the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club. The defamation threat they have made against me is a classic SLAPP suit—strategic litigation against public participation—historically a tactic used by dodgy developers to silence community activists and provide a chilling effect on media reporting of issues.
I accept for those in our community who are passionate about greyhound racing that this is a difficult transition. No doubt it was the same for those in the whaling industry when Australia banned whaling in the 70s. But the time has come to acknowledge the toll on the animals used in this commercial operation and draw the curtain on this part of our history. I encourage affected people to grasp the opportunity offered by the transition package so we can move forward together. (Time expired.)
Hartley Lifecare—fundraising
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (5.02): We all know we live in the best city in Australia, and a huge part of what makes our city great is the people. I feel privileged to meet many different Canberrans who embody our generosity, our sense of adventure and our connection to community. This evening I rise to speak about a very special event I had the pleasure of attending on 14 of June. The spine tingling ride fundraising dinner was held at Albert Hall to celebrate the great achievement of a passionate and clearly very fit Canberran, Andrew Kerec.
The Kerec family was devastated when its patriarch, Andrew’s father, Lud, was involved in a tragic cycling accident in early 2010 rendering him quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Motivated by his father’s courage and commitment to raising awareness of spinal injuries and the devastating impact they have on families and the community, Andrew embarked on a 5,450-kilometre bike ride, going from Canberra to Humpty Doo in Darwin all to raise well needed funds for Hartley Lifecare, Spinal Cure Australia, Project Edge and Livable Housing Australia.
Kicking off in March and taking three months to reach Humpty Doo, the ride was captured in a video diary by Andrew, and it did not take long for the momentum of donations to start rising as Andrew’s journey touched a lot of hearts. A particularly touching moment for Andrew was having his father cross the finish line with him, on a modified hand bike for an uplifting reunion at Humpty Doo.
As members in this chamber would be aware, I have been and am a great supporter of Hartley Lifecare, an organisation that provides vital assistance and support for people with complex disabilities, an organisation which only over the weekend held a great fundraising initiative, the Hart.R8 challenge, in which I had the pleasure of participating. I acknowledge that Minister Rattenbury was also there and probably felt very much at home on the bike.
Partnering with a number of local gyms around Canberra, participants signed up to ride an indoor bike for up to six hours to raise funds for Hartley. I congratulate
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