Michael Sukkar MP

Morning Tea with the Prime Minister

More than 100 people, representing community groups from throughout Deakin, today welcomed the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister over a cup of tea.

Michael Sukkar MP, Federal Member for Deakin, hosted the Deakin Community Morning Tea to give local community leaders a chance to talk directly to the Prime Minister, the Hon Tony Abbott MP.

Mr Sukkar said he felt proud to introduce the Prime Minister to some of the exceptional people who foster Deakin’s strong community spirit.

“It was fantastic for the Prime Minister to meet some of the people who work so tirelessly to improve our local area, including through sporting clubs, churches, environmental groups, service clubs and countless other groups,” he said.

In addressing the morning tea, the Prime Minister echoed Mr Sukkar’s comments that, “the strength of any community is in the quality of its citizens”.

“The great feature of Australian society is that there are networks upon networks upon networks of decent people who, when they see an issue, they band together to address it,” the Prime Minister said.

“The Rotary clubs, the church associations, the environmental groups, all of the bodies that come together to support our schools and our hospitals – this is the real life; certainly it’s the lifeblood of our community.

“And that’s what all of you are here to represent – the civil, the civic associations that are so much a part of the social fabric of our country and which do so much to strengthen the bonds of solidarity and community between each Australian.”

Mr Sukkar thanked the Maroondah City Council for hosting the event at the Maroondah Federation Estate in Ringwood.