Ms TRISH DOYLE (Blue Mountains): I pay tribute to the vibrant, diverse and active arts community in the Blue Mountains. Recently I had the pleasure of attending the opening of the Springwood Art Show, which showcased the talents of well-known local artists and emerging student artists at the Springwood High School. I was honoured to be invited to open the Six Views exhibition at the Pop Atelier Gallery in Katoomba—a spectacular exhibition of landscapes by Lucy Dawson, Roland Hemmert, Joachim Herrmann, Samantha McKay, Victor Peralta, and Sanja Zemljacenko.

I take this opportunity to briefly acknowledge the work of Modern Art Projects—WEST at Hazelbrook, which is an independent artist-run space that has hosted a number of eclectic exhibitions in recent times. Billy Gruner, Sarah Knightley, Beata Geyer, Miriam Williamson, Roger Foley-Fogg, Ian Milliss and many other fabulous artists are doing excellent work in raising awareness of the vital role that arts and culture play in our lives. They seek to inject some local vitality into an underfunded arts scene in the Blue Mountains and beyond. This weekend I will open Naturally Local, which is a colourful exhibition of paintings by Dirk Romeyn and Marilyn Ecob at the Heritage Centre in Blackheath.