HON ALISON XAMON (North Metropolitan) [5.23 pm]: Last night, after Parliament rose, I had the opportunity to attend the West Australian Music Industry Awards, and it was a wonderful opportunity. For people who may not be aware, WA Music is supported by the state government through the Department of Culture and the Arts. It is also assisted by the federal government through the Australia Council as the federal arts funding body. I have been to the WAMAwards several times over the years and I really enjoy being able to attend them. Particularly when I was younger, I was strongly involved in the local music industry, so it is an area that I always thoroughly enjoy. We are very lucky in Western Australia; we have produced exceptional musicians and bands over the years. Some people attribute our ability to foster an extraordinary level of creative content to our relative isolation. Maybe it is something in our water, but we can certainly acknowledge that we have some exceptional talent coming through. I also want to note that the awards this year were sponsored by Healthway through its Act–Belong–Commit promotion, which was a really good opportunity. It has provided $280 000 to West Australian Music for the next two years in order to promote the Act–Belong–Commit message through WAM’s programs, including the song of the year awards that occurred last night. Of course, the Act–Belong–Commit campaign is about encouraging and maintaining our mental wellbeing, and a new award category, dedicated to songs that promote mental health, was a way to demonstrate that commitment.
I want to pay tribute to the winners. There were many of them. In particular, I acknowledge Carla Geneve, who was the grand prize winner; Flewnt, who were the grand prize runner-up and collected three awards throughout the night; and Riley Pearce, the grand prize second runner-up. I want to acknowledge another winner as well. Members in this place are aware that as parents, we are often not able to spend the level of time with our children that we would really like because we work very long hours and this place often keeps us away from our children. I want to use the fact that I have this place in which to acknowledge my enormous pride in my 15-year-old son, Jackson, whose band Electrocity Ensemble also won one of the WAM awards for song of the year. I could not have been prouder. It is a fantastic song. If people want to hear it, it is available on both iTunes and Spotify. I want to acknowledge this particular band, which has been building a catalogue of original songs for the last two years and is about to produce an album. I am really proud of my boy, and I am really proud of the music that they are producing, which has now been acknowledged by these awards. I also want to give a shout-out to Michael Newton and Byron Keno, who have played an integral role in managing and promoting the band. I am really grateful for the level of support that they have given, particularly in the production of the album.
Members, I want to say that the WAMAwards are amazing anyway. Like I said, it is a wonderful opportunity anytime, but to be there as a mum, watching my teenage boy pick up one of the main gongs, was a particularly special moment.
The PRESIDENT: I am sure we all add our congratulations to Jackson, and if members want to, I am sure they can talk to you about booking them for future events!