St George Community Transport

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-108663

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)

St George Community Transport

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (19:18):

:35 I congratulate St George Community Transport, one of the most impactful organisations in our local area, on another successful year. St George Community Transport provides transport services to some of the most vulnerable members in our community who would otherwise have difficulty transporting themselves. This includes the frail, elderly, those with disability, their carers and a wide range of others. St George Community Transport has grown to a team of 30 employees and more than 70 volunteers, something that seemed unimaginable after its humble beginning. St George Community Transport is now one of the largest community transport providers in New South Wales and the demand for its service continues to grow. Its fleet has also grown to 27 vehicles, ranging from sedans to 24‑seater buses. Many of these vehicles are custom modified to ensure comfort and accessibility for all clients.

In 2018-19 St George Community Transport delivered over 70,000 trips to 3,000 customers. Some of the most popular individual transport locations include St George public and private hospitals, Hurstville Westfield, Rockdale Plaza and of course the eye specialist in Hurstville. These trips are essential to encouraging and facilitating mobility and independence for all members of the local community. In the past year St George Community Transport has also provided transport for 134 social outings, helping to foster and develop a strong sense of community in the St George area. This includes over 3,700 clients, a growth of almost 9 per cent on the number of clients who attended social outings last year. I am also informed that this year St George Community Transport provided 216 bingo trips, a massive effort. This year St George Community Transport conducted 87 shopping trips on its practical Shopping Bus, which includes shelving for clients' groceries. Even more impressively, it has delivered Home Care packages to those with complex needs who cannot attend the shopping trips.

One of the great qualities of our local area is its cultural diversity. St George is home to many different ethnicities, faiths and languages. In fact, 20 per cent of St George Community Transport's customers come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, which includes 61 different languages. St George Community Transport should be commended for its flexibility and efficiency in catering to this diverse client base. It now employs Mandarin- and Cantonese‑speaking team members each Friday in order to assist with bookings and inquiries. This is proof of its person‑centred approach to service delivery and a testament to its management. St George Community Transport not only is making a huge difference in the lives of individuals, it also is creating a stronger community for all of us to live in. Its work is helping to improve community participation, ensuring that all members of our local area have the opportunity to do their shopping, enjoy local attractions and stay busy. This has significant flow‑on effects for our local economy and the general thriving of our local area.

Just as importantly, St George Community Transport is one of many organisations in our local area that helps to maintain our strong sense of community. The St George area is a family‑friendly community that values selflessness. By ensuring all members of our community have access to transport, St George Community Transport is allowing residents to socialise and continue to develop our large yet close community. It comes as no surprise to me, therefore, that figures such as kilometres travelled continue to increase by almost 10 per cent. At the end of last year Kate Young retired as CEO, ending a six-year tenure leading the organisation. Her leadership and skills are the main reason that St George Community Transport has grown so rapidly.

Kate has been capably replaced by Carol Strachan, who has helped the organisation through a smooth transition. I look forward to seeing St George Community Transport continuing to grow under Carol's leadership. As always, credit must go to chairman Chris Tyler for overseeing so much of St George Community Transport's success. Last but not least, I thank the employees and many volunteers of St George Community Transport, who work tirelessly to provide transport to those who need it most. We cannot understate the importance of St George Community Transport and the difference it makes to our local community. On behalf of my electorate and all members of this Chamber, I express our thanks to St George Community Transport.