Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown—Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault)—It was our last southerly buster, though of course we didn't know it then. So begins 'The Last One', a short story written by Eleebana local Alison Ferguson. A beautiful, elegiac piece reflecting on the impacts of climate change, 'The Last One' won the Newcastle Herald's 2025 Hunter Short Story prize. The story is emotive and evocative. The first time you read it, the twist at the end comes as a genuine surprise. As you read it again, however, you start to see how the author is trying to warn her nameless protagonist. It is a powerful piece of writing. Alison is a retired speech pathologist and academic, who completed a Bachelor of Arts in writing in the 1970s. She has written a number of award-winning stories across a range of genres, including horror, crime and science fiction. Her 'Fragments of Meaning' received a Special Commendation at the Scarlet Stiletto Awards in 2018, was included in an anthology for the Newcastle Short Story Award put together by the Hunter Writers Centre. She has also served as an editor, bringing together the Lake Macquarie-focused anthology Beneath the Surface in 2020. Congratulations on this well-earned recognition.

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!