Damian Hale (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Address be agreed to.

Mr Speaker, I congratulate you on becoming the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for this opportunity and the privilege to move this motion in reply to the Governor-General’s speech, on a day that our community, our party and our Prime Minister have ensured will be a significant one in our history. To stand here today, in the arena where for over 100 years the passions, values, wisdom and vision of so many Australians of all walks of life have shaped our great nation, is truly a humbling experience. I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Ngunnawal people, who have lived in the region around Canberra for over 20,000 years. It is also appropriate, as the new member for Solomon, to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the region I represent, the Larrakia people, many of whom are here today.

There are a number of people who have supported me. Bob and Bev Hale, my parents, are here with me today. They have been fantastic role models for me in my life and recently celebrated 41 years of marriage. They have always encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams and have supported me to that end. I have a wonderful relationship with them and appreciate their support. I thank my wife, Jennifer, for her support and love and my five children, Robert, Anthony, Jaclyn, Gabby and Dominic, all of whom are here today. Thank you also to my sister Jacintha, her family and my wife’s family. Thank you to the Australian Labor Party, the Northern Territory secretary, George Addison, the honourable member for Lingiari and Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon, and Northern Territory Senator Trish Crossin, for their much valued advice since being preselected on 16 February 2007. To all other people who have helped me along the way—they know who they are; and some, I know, would wish to remain anonymous—I sincerely thank you for your contribution.

The electorate of Solomon consists of the cities of Darwin and Palmerston. It is a part of Australia with a rich cultural heritage and magnificent natural endowment. It is a place of great historical significance and considerable strategic importance to the nation. I was born in the Queensland town of Ipswich in 1969. My parents took up teaching positions in Maningrida, a community in Arnhem Land, in 1974. The general consensus at the time amongst the extended family in Queensland was that the urge to discover the last frontier would wear off quickly and they would be back in six months. I am forever grateful to them both that we did not leave.

I believe that living in the Northern Territory, coupled with the role models my parents have been, has shaped my character. I would go as far as to say that if every Australian could live in a place like the Northern Territory, or in an Aboriginal community, during their childhood, we would be a far better place. I feel very fortunate that I have done both.

During my time in Maningrida I met the then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. There was much excitement in the Hale household. I grew up in a very Labor environment and would often listen to renditions of the Worker’s Song sung by dad—depending on how late it was on a Friday night. But the passion they had for the underdog, for the worker or for the less fortunate rubbed off on me, and that is the passion that I carry with me today. That is what we do in this party. It echoes the sentiment, Mr Speaker, that you expressed in your first speech to this House—I will not go into the year!—when you quoted Henry James Scullin stating: ‘Justice and humanity demand interference whenever the weak are being crushed by the strong.’

I attended the first meeting the Prime Minister had with the leaders of the various Aboriginal land councils, organisations and communities. It is often said that a good listener is the wisest of persons, so it was no surprise to me at this meeting that the Prime Minister simply listened. One of the reasons these cultures have survived for so long is their ability to change over time. However, it is us who need to change. We need to listen to what our Indigenous brothers and sisters are saying to us and to act on what we are hearing. As a nation we can now move forward and work to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity. It is not about finding someone to blame or to seek retribution; it is about recognising the suffering of Indigenous people and acknowledging that things should have been done differently. In the words of a former Prime Minister, it is about opening our hearts.

The significance of the apology to the stolen generations should not be lost by political differences or opposing media opinion. The word ‘sorry’ will forever hold a special significance for all of us in this chamber and around the country on what has been a truly historic day for Australia. Today we start a new chapter. We have opened our hearts; now it is time to use our hands and our heads to ensure all Australians have every opportunity to realise their full potential.

Solomon is home to people from all corners of the globe, and this diversity has shaped our part of the world for the better. The positive influence that the Chinese community has had on the development of Palmerston and Darwin has been profound. With a history in the Territory stretching back over 100 years, one only has to take a walk around Darwin or visit any of the many markets to understand how this presence has enriched Darwin and Palmerston. It is fantastic to see the new Chinatown development rising on Mitchell Street and, like many Territorians, I can’t wait to see this project completed. As the Chinese are currently celebrating a new year, the Year of the Rat, let me take this opportunity to say to all Chinese Australians: Gong Hee Fat Choy—Happy New Year!

The Greek community has also had a profound effect on the development of Solomon. The ties between Darwin and Greece go back many decades, and Darwin has a sister relationship with Kalymnos. Like many Territorians, I look forward each year to sharing in the festivities of the Greek Glenti on the Esplanade. I can see Tony Burke nodding there!

I have used two examples there, not to diminish the enormous contribution many other communities make to the electorate of Solomon but to give a flavour of the wonderfully diverse and rich cultures that make Darwin and Palmerston such a great place to live.

It was with a great deal of excitement that I was recently appointed a special adviser to the new Minister for Sport and Minister for Youth, the member for Adelaide. I congratulate her on her appointments. I believe that sport is the base to much of Australia’s community fabric. The enthusiasm we as Australians have for our sport and our sporting heroes is known and respected around the world. We cry with our cricket captains, duck and weave with our boxers and readily adopt people from other countries if they wish to continue their chosen sport under the Australia flag. We sing about it, we paint our faces and we tattoo our bodies—and many a family feud occurs when rival teams clash on the field of battle. But all the time we maintain our sense of humour and an ability to laugh at ourselves, and I hope we never lose those two traits as a country. In the Northern Territory, we have produced many champions in a wide range of sports. Today I noticed Essendon legend Michael Long was here to celebrate the apology. What a legend he has been for the Territory. There are too many to mention for fear of missing one. The key is to get kids into the habit early in life to ensure it is a positive influence on them for their entire lives.

On Christmas Day last year, after having breakfast with family, I visited St Vincent de Paul’s Christmas luncheon for the needy and homeless. Many of the people there use the services provided most days and would not survive if those services were not there. However, they still had a sense of humour. I overheard one patron say to another, ‘Things must be really bad—even Damian Hale has to come here for lunch!’ As they finished lunch, they dispersed back into the escarpment. Some live in the ‘long grass’; others live in doorways in the city centre, under bridges or in bus shelters. There are 100,000 homeless people in Australia, many of them children; that figure is not acceptable. Organisations such as St Vincent de Paul, Mission Australia and the Salvation Army are stretched well beyond their limits at present. One of the great challenges that face the new government is to bridge the gap in Australia between the people who are enjoying the fruits which come at times of economic prosperity and the people who have missed out on this economic prosperity. I appreciate the strong leadership the Prime Minister has exercised on social equity. I welcome the positive steps the government has taken since, and we will work in government to achieve real results in this area.

As a government, we need to make decisions on the role that the north of Australia will play in Australia’s future development and population expansion. The shortage of water in many parts of Australia begs the question: should we be looking north for the major future expansion of our population? Obviously, the issues of responsible water use and land use need to be considered. Climate change has caused all of us to reassess our role on this planet. We are all only custodians of the environment and we need to make sure we preserve it for future generations.

The north of Australia has an amazing amount to offer young people currently residing in the southern states. The development will need to be sustainable; it will need to be well planned and measured. It is my belief that the Northern Territory is the future of Australia. The Northern Territory still offers itself as a frontier for all young people in Australia to come and make their mark. The government’s housing affordability scheme is a step in the right direction for the people of Solomon, many of whom have been unable to afford to buy into the current markets of Darwin and Palmerston. I urge my colleagues to embrace the development of north Australia and to understand the financial commitment that is needed to develop the Northern Territory in its future expansion.

We are currently experiencing a skill shortage in Solomon, similar to the rest of Australia; however, it has been magnified by our robust economy, due in most part to the resources boom. Mining continues to be fantastic for the economy of the north; however, it has also contributed in part to putting pressure on skill capacity requirements. A lack of investment in skilling our population has also left a chronic shortage of skills Australia wide and even more so in the underpopulated north. As a qualified greenkeeper and a Northern Territory and Australian Apprentice of the Year, I understand the value of a trade certificate. Trade certificates will survive favourable and not so favourable economic conditions. Paul Henderson, our Chief Minister, is a qualified marine fitter, an apprenticeship he completed in an English shipyard—but we will not hold that against him. The value of the trade certificate will never be underestimated. It is essential that we continue to invest in other industries to further drive our economic development. This will ensure we are not solely reliant on the resources boom. The government’s commitment to an education revolution has also been keenly received, as has further investment in trade training centres in schools.

The Darwin Convention Centre and waterfront development is nearing completion and already has in excess of 30 bookings. The Darwin skyline has some 13 cranes operating as developers realise the opportunities in Darwin. Recently released figures estimate that some $5 billion worth of work is currently in progress in Darwin alone—not bad considering the population of the Northern Territory is just over 200,000. The nearby city of Palmerston and the adjacent rural area are in the top 10 fastest growing areas in Australia. The time is right for further investment in the Northern Territory.

On 19 February—next week—we will mark the 66th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin, the day that World War II came to Australian shores. It is a reminder of the sacrifices many brave men and women have made and continue to make to defend the democracy we enjoy and often take for granted. Further to this thought is the sacrifices the families of defence personnel make, especially when their loved ones are overseas. There are close to 13,000 defence personnel from the tri-services in Solomon alone, many of whom have been or will be deployed at some stage.

Being in government means we have a job of work to do. It is about delivering on our commitments to the people of Solomon and Australia. For Solomon, it is commitments such as extending Tiger Brennan Drive, establishing a superclinic in Palmerston, installing CCTV cameras to make our community safer and providing more computers in our schools.

The historic resilience of the people I represent never fails to amaze me. Darwin was bombed in 1942 and blown away in 1974, but the reason it always bounces back is simple: it’s the people. It is a privilege and a pleasure to represent people with passion, something I will never take for granted. We have a balance of purpose, a positive business environment, a strong union movement and government leadership, which have given the Northern Territory a vibrant economy. In the electorate of Solomon, we have been able to achieve this economy with strong business acumen and disciplined union activity, which endeavours to deliver benefits for everyone. The electorate of Solomon is a melting pot of multicultural cuisine and truly represents all that is great about living in Australia. I am honoured to move this motion in reply to the Governor-General’s address.

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