Bob Debus (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak for the first time as the member for Macquarie. I also acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Ngunnawal people. It has been my enormous privilege to represent the people of the Blue Mountains in the New South Wales state legislature for many years. And it is now an even greater privilege to be the Labor member for a Macquarie electorate which again includes Lithgow, Bathurst and Oberon. It is the seat held by Ben Chifley, the man who fought the banks, who carried himself with extraordinary integrity through massive upheaval in the Depression-affected Labor Party, who fought for a decent social security net for the unemployed, who was Curtin’s strongest supporter when a Labor government saw Australia through the Second World War and who with great competence saw Australia through a dramatic period of postwar reconstruction. We would not now endorse every one of his attitudes and views—he was of course a man of his time—but few would seek to deny his magnificent status in the history of this nation or the profound regard with which his memory is now held in my electorate.

The seat of Macquarie represents most—not quite all, but most—of the spectrum of Australian society and opinion. Our best guess is that, at the general election of 2004, the vote of the major parties in the subdivisions that make up the new seat was almost exactly evenly divided. The state seat of Blue Mountains, half of Macquarie, has not been out of government for half a century. We reflect the mood of the nation.

Nor are we short of history in the seat of Macquarie. I am aware of evidence of Aboriginal occupation for around 25,000 years, but it is almost certainly much longer—Daruk, Gundangurra, Wiradjiri. Bathurst is the oldest European settlement west of the Great Divide. A Government House was erected there for Macquarie in 1817. The agricultural landscape of the Upper Macquarie Valley is the oldest in the nation; the agricultural landscape in the Oberon Shire might well be the most beautiful. William Cox had built a road across the Blue Mountains by January 1815. Charles Darwin travelled from Sydney to Bathurst in 1836 and made some very good observations on the geomorphology of the Blue Mountains. In 1851, the gold rushes began near Bathurst.

Lithgow is a cradle of Australian industry; the ironworks established there in 1875 were transferred to Port Kembla in 1928. Thomas Sutcliffe Mort established an abattoir and freezing works in 1873. The Blue Mountains saw the beginning of the modern tourism industry. The conservation movement in Australia may be said to have begun with the early attempts to preserve what has now become the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Park.

Chifley won this seat in 1928 and lost it by the narrowest of margins as Minister for Defence in 1931, when the Scullin government was swept from power. Having lost my own seat, as a state minister, in 1988 by an even narrower margin—through the combined efforts of anti-gun control campaigners and extremists opposed to homosexual law reform—I hope I have some limited insight into what Chifley then experienced as he struggled through the 1930s, finally recaptured the seat in 1940 and, of course, famously served the people of his electorate until his death in 1951, when he was replaced by Tony Luchetti for the ALP.

Malcolm Mackerras calculated that Tony’s personal vote was twice as high as that of any other member of the House, and he served until 1975. I knew Tony Luchetti as I have known later members for Macquarie and Calare. David Simmons and Ross Free became ministers in the Hawke government. Maggie Deahm, member for Macquarie from 1993 to 1996, staffed a polling booth for me at the last election. Alistair Webster, Liberal member from 1984 to 1993, is still active locally. Kerry Bartlett was my Liberal opponent at the last election and I salute him for his hard and fair campaign.

Peter Andren, member for Calare from 1996 to 2007, had all those high qualities that were so sincerely described in the speeches by the Prime Minster and the member for New England on yesterday’s condolence motion. Nobody campaigning as I did in Bathurst and Lithgow could have had the slightest doubt that Peter was a man of profound integrity at both a political and a personal level or that his constituents were almost universally of that opinion. I honour him and I believe that serious practitioners of politics will be learning from him for years to come.

This is my third or fourth career. I have been a journalist, a lawyer and a politician—three, I think I can safely say, of the most commonly, and unfairly, derided professions in our culture. I have indeed seen the worst of all three professions, but overwhelmingly I have seen the best. Contrary to popular opinion, Australian democracy is well served by the great majority of those who enter public life and by the scrutiny provided by journalists, whatever excesses may occasionally occur. And we too easily take for granted the probity and rigour of our legal system, the high standards espoused by the legal profession and, most of all, the independence and capacity of our judges.

When I retired from the parliament of New South Wales in March last year, I was somewhat tempted by the idea of a quieter life and I was conscious of the sacrifices my family had already made. In the end, though, my desire to participate in a process of national renewal under a new Labor government was too strong. I had found myself appalled by attacks upon refugees. As a person committed to reconciliation with Aboriginal people, I had watched in dismay as a discourse of blame, abuse and division once again took hold. I had seen the gargoyles of the right-wing commentariat encouraged to create the straw man of the activist judge as a weapon of intimidation against the courts. I had noticed the tendency to deride well-reasoned judgements based on sound legal principle if they took into account human rights or considerations of international obligation. Under the strictures of the previous government, it had begun to seem very old-fashioned to espouse notions of tolerance and inclusiveness, to look to Australia in the context of a thriving participant in the Asian region rather than the last outpost of some postcolonial dream, to view the arts and our great cultural institutions as vital to the growth of Australia as a society and to acknowledge the proud history of the trade union movement in defending the rights of working people.

In one of the most satisfying achievements that I had as the Attorney General of the state of New South Wales, I was able to assist in the fight to bring the James Hardie group of companies to account for their atrocious treatment of victims of asbestosis. With the late, great Bernie Banton, for whom we had condolences yesterday, and my new parliamentary colleague Greg Combet, we worked to bring James Hardie to the negotiating table and we ultimately succeeded. When the deal was finally done, Greg caught a cab to Sydney airport to fly back to Melbourne and I saw, with my own eyes, members of the public surrounding him at the taxi rank and waving through the cab windows at intersections when they recognised him. As the Howard government churned out its tedious anti-union propaganda, I thought about the sight of Combet, one of those reviled union bosses, cheered on street corners by random passers-by like a visiting rock star, and I began to hope that it was the federal government and not I who was out of touch with the Australian people. To my delight, as I began to campaign in the seat of Macquarie last April, I discovered that, indeed, it was not I who was out of step. As I stood on railway stations, walked through shopping centres and knocked on doors, I encountered an enthusiasm for change which I had rarely experienced. The Work Choices legislation, the refusal to sign Kyoto, the war in Iraq, the Wheat Board scandal and the vilification of refugees and unionists did not sit well with the coalminer in Lithgow, the prison officer in Oberon, the doctor in Bathurst and the retired clergyman in Wentworth Falls. The people once represented by Chifley were inspired by the new vision Kevin Rudd presented—not all of them, of course, but they came out in their hundreds in shopping centres to tell me so—and they came out to vote.

So what now is the challenge? It is to keep faith and to help create a new modern society. I have lost count of the number of people who talked with me in the supermarket in Katoomba, in the pub in Springwood and at a preschool in Lithgow with metaphors of renewal: ‘It feels like someone has opened the windows’; ‘I feel hope for the future again’; ‘I feel proud of my country again.’

In the portfolio with which I have been entrusted, there are many opportunities to keep that pact of trust with the Australian people. Home Affairs, I am reliably informed, is a departmental configuration which dates back to 1901. It was one of the first seven departments of the Commonwealth. I am also told that one of the first ministers for Home Affairs was King O’Malley—although I have been advised against overstating my connection in that regard unless I want a good seat in an Irish pub. The portfolio today is, of course, infinitely more sophisticated and complex than it was then, covering areas within the Attorney-General’s Department, including criminal law and its reform, strategies for dealing with money laundering and drugs, the operations of the Australian Crime Commission and much else; also the Australian Customs Service, the Australian Federal Police and Commonwealth territories. Our focus is not only domestic but also on Australia’s role in supporting our neighbours in the Asia Pacific. That role is notably carried out by the Australian Federal Police—one of the best and most educated forces in the world, leaders in building and promoting positive relations in our region. And, similarly, the Customs Service performs miracles on a daily basis.

I must say that, as a former Attorney General, I firmly reject the notion that law enforcement agencies and the courts need to be at odds. To the contrary, the professionalism of our police can only be enhanced by the rigour and scrutiny brought to them by the courts. I have myself had a lifelong interest in the criminal law, in schemes to divert offenders from custody and in prison reform. Priority reforms for 2008, in my eyes, are the issues of rights for victims of crime and sentencing and offender management. But I am also keen to work with colleagues on coordination of criminal justice reform; for example, the Model Criminal Code and its implementation. I want to move away from the adversarial approach which characterised the previous government and to take a consultative approach, including the legal profession. In New South Wales I found in the past the contribution of the Law Society and particularly the Bar Association to be invaluable, and I propose, in consequence, to hold a major forum later this year at which academics, the profession, the Australian Institute of Criminology, the Law Reform Commission and police unions will all be invited to participate and discuss proposals for reforms to federal criminal justice legislation.

I would be remiss on today of all days in the history of our parliament if I did not take the opportunity to mention also my great commitment to issues of Indigenous law and justice—a commitment which began with my involvement long ago in the first Aboriginal Legal Service at Redfern. I am committed to improving Indigenous community safety, to reducing Indigenous overrepresentation in the justice system and to doing my utmost, in cooperation with ministerial colleagues around the country, to protect Indigenous children. My responsibilities for criminal justice issues, crime prevention, victims of crime and Indigenous justice matters will allow me to follow through on important issues with which I have dealt in the past.

Shortly, I shall visit the Northern Territory to discuss the implementation of aspects of the Northern Territory emergency response in that jurisdiction from the point of view of my portfolio. I know that the House was discussing this issue earlier today. I will be making that visit well aware that the emergency response is often referred to as ‘the intervention’ in the Northern Territory, where also, as the minister responsible to territories, I am overseeing a range of programs that have caused considerable comment and controversy in the Territory. As members are aware, the government supports a range of programs in place now in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, but with the support we are also aware that we have responsibilities and I accept the responsibility to ensure that, where the measures are working, they are continued and also to find out what we can do better. I will be doing so by working with people on the ground and by taking the advice of experts. I intend to work closely with Territory ministers to ensure that the Home Affairs portfolio serves the Northern Territory community just as well as it must serve all Australians in all jurisdictions.

It is not just the Northern Territory that requires our dedicated attention to criminal justice and Indigenous justice issues. The agencies reporting to me have been charged with a responsibility to ensure, in the spirit of reconciliation which this House has come to terms with this week, that we are closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage and decreasing the level of Indigenous representation in the criminal justice system Australia wide. And I am particularly interested in working with the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General to develop a national strategic framework for Indigenous law and justice. The Council of Australian Governments recently agreed to take action to address Indigenous disadvantage, focusing on gaps in life expectancy, child mortality, literacy and numeracy. Child abuse not only has immediate physical, social and emotional health consequences for children but also has crippling consequences for long-term life directions. We need a broad and balanced approach, informed by Indigenous voices, organisations and by experts, that involves both justice sector agencies and prevention approaches.

Mr Speaker, I could test the patience of this chamber for much longer by talking of national issues and the excitement I feel at the historic opportunity this government has been given by the Australian people to build our economy for the future, to redress inequality, to restore the environment. But the timeworn maxim rightly states that ultimately all politics is local, so I will return to the electorate of Macquarie and pay tribute to those who worked so hard to assist in my campaign. They range from a few stalwart comrades like Merv Savage and Jim Angel, who have worked with me across eight elections, to my new friends in Bathurst and Lithgow who were able during the course of half a year to introduce me into the heart of their own communities.

My campaign was supported actively by literally hundreds of volunteers—and I hope I have sufficiently thanked them in one way or another in the last couple of months. Knowing that I could spend 20 minutes just reading our their names, I mention only a few among them: my astoundingly efficient campaign manager, Brenda Finlayson; Luke Foley; Amber Jacobus; my campaign committee chair, Wayne McAndrew; Mike and Sue Dickson; Councillor Paul Haysom; former Senator Sue West; Dr Chris Halloway; Cath Knowles; Mark Worthington; Arthur Williams; Mathew Martin; Pat Okon; Alex Bukarica; Gary Brown; Andrew Teece; Don Macgregor; Marilla North; Blair Kavanagh; Sarah Shrubb; Mark Andrews; Susan Elfert; Pam Crafoord; Mick Fell; Rose Tracey; Peter Letts; Karl Bennett; Sandra Stringer; Amanda Blanch; Steve Bevis; and Judy Brentnall. You can see that we are not intensely multicultural in Macquarie.

I was especially assisted by the state member for Bathurst, Gerard Martin, and his electorate officer, Fran Van Dartel, and by our duty senator, the Hon. Steve Hutchins, who was also active famously in the seat of Lindsay, and by Phil Koperberg, state member for Blue Mountains. I should also mention generous support from friends outside the electorate, not least Elsa Atkin, Yolanda Lucire, Errol Sullivan and Sally McInerney. And I am particularly indebted to a number of trade unions—the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the LHMU, the Finance Sector Union, the PSA and especially the CFMEU through its mining and construction divisions. A profoundly important contribution was made by the Your Rights at Work campaign coordinated in Macquarie by Daniel Walton. Throughout these arduous months I had the experience common to many—probably everybody in this House—the support of my family was the foundation upon which all else stood, and my partner, Leela, who had been anticipating a somewhat easier life in the last year, was absolutely steadfast.

During the election campaign the government laid down a significant program for the next three years and beyond in the electorate of Macquarie. The central west of New South Wales stands in great need of the rollout of high-speed broadband internet infrastructure. Within the great agenda for improving education at all levels, the promised upgrading of trade training facilities and computer upgrading at secondary schools will be of particular importance to school retention and workforce participation rates. New projects to improve the Great Western Highway and the investigation by Infrastructure Australia of long-term transport needs are critical for regional development. Substantial water-saving projects in Lithgow and Oberon will drought-proof local industry while improving environmental flows, especially in the Fish River. I am committed to supporting the establishment over time of new industries and job opportunities in the Lithgow Valley and in Bathurst.

In the Blue Mountains a modified version of the GP Super Clinic and a number of new childcare centres are high on the government’s priorities. Here too, road and internet infrastructure improvements are critical. The improvement to health services will generally be an important task, but everywhere in my electorate an improvement to the funding of the dental health programs neglected by the last government is of the greatest significance to people who are less well off.

It is hard to imagine a better day upon which one might make an inaugural speech in this House. Earlier I said that the new government had to keep faith with those who wanted a new beginning. What better way was there to do so? I look forward to serving the people of Macquarie and the citizens of Australia.

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