Forrest MP's message this festive season

I encourage you to support our local small businesses over the festive season.

If you shop locally your money stays local and supports our families and communities.

This means in the lead up to the busy Christmas period, it is important to visit local shops and small businesses when thinking about your Christmas preparations and Christmas presents.

Get out and about, amongst your local businesses and service providers - there is great value to be found, not just for your wallet but also for the health and economic vitality of our community.

Christmas is a great opportunity to reflect on things we've done this year and the good times we've had.

Please stay safe online, too.

I encourage you to make a New Year's resolution to regularly check your privacy settings on social media sites and keep up with changes which could put privacy at risk, especially with photo sharing.

We also need to make sure that we are fire prepared, so make sure you have an up to date plan in case of bushfire, as fire is a constant threat here in the South West.

A big thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who are the glue that keeps our communities across the South West together - particularly those in the emergency services sector.

Please stay safe as I look forward to seeing you in 2020.