There is always a lot happening on the Bellarine, and last Saturday I had the pleasure to hold a stall at the Live Love Leopold community day at Leopold Primary School.

The full force of our local community was on display, with passionate volunteers, local families and community organisations running stalls. It was a true celebration of what makes Leopold and the Bellarine special, people coming together, supporting one another and taking pride in where they live.

A big thankyou to Leopold Primary School, especially principal Stuart Bott, and to every volunteer and committee member who gave their time and energy to put on such a wonderful and successful day. Stalls and markets are a really valuable opportunity to have real conversations with my community, to listen to locals and hear about their priorities and hopes for the future for our region.

Later this week, on Friday and Saturday, I will be in St Leonards with the Minister for Ports and Freight to announce the new design of the St Leonards redevelopment, a project shaped directly by the feedback that we received last year from the community consultation for that area.

This is an exciting step forward for our region, and I know the community is eager to see the progress continue at the upcoming information sessions.

As the local member, I firmly believe that decisions made about our region must be made with community, not for the community. That is why I will always be out there at events, at markets, maybe at your doorstep and at stalls at school fetes, listening and engaging with constituents to make sure their voices are not only heard but acted upon.