James Bidgood (Dawson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When the laws that govern a nation are unjust then those laws and the government that created them must be changed. This is what the people of Australia comprehensively did on 24 November 2007. They rejected the coalition of conservative parties and their policies on Work Choices and nuclear power. In the seat of Dawson there was a primary vote swing to the Australian Labor Party of 16.9 per cent and 13.2 per cent on the two-party preferred vote. This wiped out 32 years of National Party rule. Yes, it is the first time since Dr Rex Patterson, the former Whitlam Labor government minister—the only person to hold this seat for Labor for nine years until 1975. Ironically, on election day, I met him at the polling booth, where he said to me: ‘I think you could just do this.’ Dr Rex is highly regarded. The people of Dawson still talk about how his visionary plans for the region were years ahead of anyone else of his time. Yes, he is a true Labor Party hero.

Members of any political party should be warned: a 10 per cent margin is not a safe seat, especially when gross injustice has been done to working people and their families, when the laws of the nation allow wages and conditions to be legitimately ripped away from them. No-one should ever forget that. Ten per cent is not safe in those circumstances.

The Bible says: ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ The previous government had no real vision for the future of this nation. They had lost their way. The Rudd Labor government has a very clear vision. Labor is about justice for all, regardless of wealth, race, religion, political view, sexuality or birthright. Labor is about treating everybody equally—a real fair go for all. Labor is about the freedom of speech, association, rights and liberties. Labor is about the strong helping the weak. Labor is about a bright vision for the future. Labor has a plan and a strategy that will invest in health, education and research, housing and key infrastructure to produce the productivity of this nation for the benefit and common good of all.

In the first 100 days of this Rudd Labor government we have delivered on our promises to, first, sign the Kyoto agreement; second, apologise to the stolen generations; and, third, introduce legislation to scrap the unfair Work Choices laws. The Australian people, under a Rudd Labor government, have a nuclear-free future. We will not waste $25 billion on 25 nuclear power stations around this country which in 50 years time would have cost hundreds of billions of dollars to decommission. The people of Dawson and Australia have rejected that nuclear notion and have given a mandate to the Rudd Labor government to invest in green, environmentally friendly clean coal technology and to invest in solar, wind, wave and hot-rock thermal technology. Under the leadership of Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan, the Labor future for energy in Australia is safe. Our great-grandchildren will look back and thank this generation of leaders for creating a safe, renewable and sustainable energy system.

I am so proud, humbled and honoured to be a part of this government. I am elected to serve, and I commit to serve with all my energy, as a representative for the people of Dawson, and to serve their interests well. We are all the product of our own experiences—where and what circumstances we were born into. My political philosophy has been shaped by my development as a person and will guide my time as a representative in this place. Primarily, I am utilitarian. I believe that the role of government is to bring about the greatest amount of good to the greatest number of people. I believe in the fair go for all Australians. I love the ‘have a go’ culture: ‘Give it a go and, if you fall over, here’s a hand up, mate—and have another go.’ That is what I love about our Australian attitude. It is positive and encourages people not to give up. If at first you do not succeed, try again. I believe in community and grassroots democracy. It is all about everyday people wanting to live a healthy, peaceful life, free from the fear of poverty, homelessness and war.

My mother, Milly, was a single parent. I was fostered out when I was born at St Andrews Hospital, by the railway tracks in Bromley-by-Bow in the East End of London in 1959. I can truly say that I was born on the wrong side of the tracks. I was ‘adopted back’ when I was one, when my mother married my stepfather, Michael Patrick Lynch. He was ‘Dad’ to me. Dad was a labourer on building sites—a man who worked hard all of his life for very little reward. He passed away in February 2000. He would have been so proud to have seen me standing here today—St Patrick’s Day—in parliament. My mother, Milly, is still alive, aged 87. She lives in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, where we moved in my first year of life and where I grew up sharing a house with my grandparents. I know what crowded housing is all about; I have lived it. My mother may be frail in her body but she is strong and young in her spirit and will argue her point strongly. Not a lot has changed there.

When I left school I went into the print trade as an apprentice darkroom technician, planner and platemaker for the presses. As a young apprentice in the print trade in England, I witnessed firsthand the workings of the Conservative Thatcher government against the printers, the miners, the steelworkers, the car workers and the shipbuilders. I saw firsthand the way the government marginalised generations of the working class in my community and kept honest people trampled under foot. Three and a half million people were officially unemployed in 1982 in the UK. Living through that injustice instilled in me—long before Work Choices—the notion that working people deserve a fair go and that government has no place in making the lives of working families worse off. The government of the day, whoever that may be, should lift up working families, not put them down. That is why, as a Christian, I feel at home in the Labor Party. It is the party that stands up for social justice for all people, not just those who can afford it. My faith is what drives me spiritually, with the conviction that society can change when people change their way of thinking and leaders make plans that benefit the whole community, not just one selfish part of it.

Prior to entering this place, I owned and managed two medical centres in Mackay as the financial director. I understand firsthand the issues that face small businesses. I have proven that you can run a successful business and look after your workers. I also understand the needs of the health system in this country. The provision of health care is a core Labor priority. That is why we need Labor’s National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission to end duplication and cost shifting, and we are committed to getting it right. Already, $150 million has been invested to fund 25,000 additional elective surgery procedures for those waiting beyond recommended times. Every child needs access to good health and a decent education from day one in order to have the best foundations in life. That is why we need Labor’s plan to appoint Professor Barry McGaw to chair a new national curriculum board to create consistent curricula across Australia in maths, English, science and history. Equality of opportunity in these fundamentals is not negotiable, and we are committed to getting it right.

My electorate of Dawson is in the heart of Queensland, spanning from Mackay, Proserpine, Airlie Beach, the Whitsunday Islands, Bowen, Ayr, Home Hill, Stuart and Oonoonba to the Ross River in South Townsville. Stretching over 19,000 square kilometres, it is a seat of wonderful diversity, from agriculture to fishing and from sugar to meatworks and mines. Dawson is a true economic powerhouse of the Australian economy. We need to move on and develop the economic triangle from Mount Isa to Townsville to Mackay. We need to have Chalco based at Abbotts Point, 20 kilometres north of Bowen, and a baseload power station between Bowen and Collinsville to power North Queensland. These are some of the key infrastructure, along with road and rail, that will boost the export productivity of the nation. I will be lobbying my fellow members of government and advocating these issues. Mining production value in Queensland as at 2007 equalled $25.3 billion, according to the Queensland Resources Council. From that, 36,000 jobs were created, and one in four of those are in the Bowen Basin. Queensland will need another 15,000 skilled resource workers by 2015.

The sugar and coal industries are key economies in Dawson. The sugar industry has created many of the great townships of Mackay, Farleigh, Proserpine, Ayr and Home Hill in my electorate. Theirs is a rich history and they have an exciting future under a Rudd Labor government. Indeed, many of my constituents are descendants of sugar industry pioneers, among them South Sea Islanders, Italians and Maltese—those manual canecutters who slogged it out in the tropical Queensland heat to earn a hard living off the land, to build a life and raise a family in the region. They have come up the tough way, building their lives over the generations. Dawson is a region founded on sugar, and the sugar industry has a friend in Labor. There are exciting projects like the Rudd Labor government’s investment, direct to canefarmers, of $200 million to help them in managing the water to reef run-off. There is also the $15 million commitment into research grants into Next Gen Ethanol, which offers real possibilities to the region for innovation allowing for continuous sustainability and growth of the sugar industry. Especially in times of low international sugar prices, we the Labor government will add value to the sugar industry by encouraging research in these areas.

My vision for the future of Dawson is for real investments, not just lip service. This includes real investment in education and training to address the skills shortage which has so acutely affected regional Australia. The Rudd Labor government’s investment in 450,000 new training places and our commitment to upskilling our workforce into the future is essential to deliver real results. There is also our investment into developing a $14 million mining technology and innovation skills centre in Mackay, which is a specialised centre that will deliver terrific long-term outcomes for all of Australia. Investment in such essential infrastructure is needed to secure our future prosperity. We need to work to ease capacity constraints in our economy. In Dawson we are powering on and contributing to the nation’s bottom line. We on this side of the House are heading in the right direction on skills and training. We put priority on investing for the future: real commitments, real investment and real results. The Labor Party is the miner’s friend—always has been and always will be. The coal industry has a true friend in the Labor Party, a true friend that will not give up on the industry. Dawson’s economy relies on a sustainable coal industry, and I applaud our government’s clear commitment to clean coal technologies, a technology that will ensure a real future for our coal industries. The $150 million fund—$50 million by government, $100 million by industry—will deliver clean coal technology to cut carbon emissions and clean up the industry. The workers in the coal industry have a true friend in Labor. These workers, above all, want health and safety and a fair go at work. They want their union by their side, and they see that Labor has a plan to secure the future of the coal industry.

Another key industry is tourism and it continues to contribute significantly to employment in the region. Tourism, especially international tourism, is something that I am very passionate and determined about, as I can see great potential for Dawson to build on its image as a dynamic international tourist destination. To develop a greater range of tourist experiences, in partnership with the industry, is an achievable goal. Already, within my electorate, the world renowned Whitsunday region increased total visitations by nine per cent and the Mackay region increased total visitations by 11 per cent for the year ended 2007. Sports tourism is another aspect that has potential in our region. One thing about the people who live in Dawson is that they love sport. I thank the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, for coming to Mackay during the election and promising to fund $8 million into the Mackay rugby league and junior rugby league stadium.

The people of Dawson voted to scrap Work Choices and move forward with fairness in the workplace. The people of Dawson voted to say no to 25 nuclear power stations in Australia. The people of Dawson voted yes to new leadership, yes to fresh ideas, yes to an education revolution and yes to a government with vision. The Rudd Labor government has that vision for the future.

I pay tribute to the tireless work of over 300 Labor Party members and supporters throughout the entire electorate who have worked selflessly towards electing me into a Rudd Labor government. There would be no Labor Party without these true believers: the rank and file. A special thanks must go to my committed campaign team. I thank my campaign director, Frank Gilbert, and his wife, Julieanne. It is amazing to think that I campaigned for Frank in this seat after I had just arrived from the UK in January 1993, and also in 1996. It is especially pleasing for him to see this victory in Dawson. I want to say thank you to my old friend, and assistant campaign director, John Pollitt. He single-handedly managed my successful Mackay City Council election campaign in 2004. He is in the gallery today. John, I salute you for all the hours and hard work you have put into this victory. Thanks go to my campaign office manager, Nurse Wendy Clement, and her husband, Jeff. Wendy and Jeff gave so much time and energy. Thanks for everything. Thanks also to my campaign team: Deborah Green; Dennis Bailey; Andrea Pozza and his fiancee Zoe; Therese Kingston and Muddy Waters; James Sullivan, who organised the pre-poll booths; and all of the branches of the ALP in Dawson. I could not have won this victory without you, the true believers. Thank you, one and all. Thank you, Queensland Labor campaign organisers Chris Forrester, Antony Chisolm and Lynis Powell; Queensland president Ron Moynahan; and state secretary Milton Dick. Thank you, Sharan Burrow of the ACTU. Thank you for your support, Dave Smith, from my union, the ASU. Thank you, Dave Hannah, from the BLF—the building labourers will always be special to me. Thank you, Andrew Vickers, Tony Maher from the CFMEU, and Bill Ludwig and Bill Shorten from the AWU, whom I am pleased to see is now the member for Maribyrnong. Thank you to the entire Your Rights at Work campaign team across the great Australian union movement. Locally, Lara Watson was the Dawson Your Rights at Work organiser. Thank you for the ‘Rock off Johnny’ concert and all that you did. We won’t—or can’t—forget it.

Thank you to the rank and file of the MUA locally in Dawson for their dedication, especially Laurie Horgan and Gary Bell. It really is ‘all the way with the MUA’. Thank you to Glenn Hall from the ETU and Shane Brunker from the CFMEU. Thank you to Les Mofit of RTBU and Margie Dale of QCU Townsville. Thank you to the Queensland state member for Mackay, Tim Mulherin, and the state member for Whitsunday, Jan Jarrat, for their wisdom and advice. To my former Labor councillors who I served time with on the Mackay City Council for the last four years, Don Rolls, Kev Casey and Greg Thomsen, I thank you for your support. To my friends in the gallery today, Rex Small, Brendan Greenhill and Lee Webster, I thank you for your friendship and support. To my friend and the pastor of Christian City Church Mackay, John Gilbank, I thank you for all your prayers—more will be required.

To Kevin Rudd, Kim Beazley, Simon Crean, Wayne Swan, Martin Ferguson and Kirsten Livermore, I thank you all for visiting me and for giving your time in Dawson. Thank you to Senators Chris Evans, John Hogg, Claire Moore, Joe Ludwig, Kerry O’Brien, Kate Lundy and Kim Carr and to the new Senator-elect Mark Furner. Thank you also for coming to support me in Dawson. I want to personally thank Senator Jan McLucas, whom I first met during Cherry Feeney’s two federal campaigns. Jan, you really have been a great help in this victory. It was your encouragement and support that convinced me to stand and you were there at key times during my very long campaign. I congratulate the new mayors in Dawson on their election on Saturday, 15 March 2008. Well done to Les Tryell in the Townsville City Council, Lyn McLaughlin in the Burdekin Shire Council, Mike Brunker in the Whitsunday Regional Council and Col Meng in the Mackay Regional Council. I promise to work with you all, regardless of political lines, for positive outcomes for our people.

The recent flooding in my electorate has been nothing short of devastating. From Ayr, Bowen and Proserpine to the Whitsundays, it really has been a big wet. Indeed, in Mackay, this year’s rain has been the worst seen in 90 years. Over 600 millimetres of rain fell in 24 hours. There has been $170 million worth of damage—and rising—done to date, which has left 8,000 homes affected; 400 families cannot return to their home for six months. My electorate office has also has also been completely knocked out and my staff have been working out of my home office while we wait six months for new premises. Thank you Jane Casey, Adel Howland, James Sullivan, John Pollitt and Andrea Pozza; you are a great staff team. You are the mobile office.

Since the flooding, the community have rallied together and responded magnificently in their moment of crisis. Their spirits have been comforted and lifted by the visit of His Excellency the Governor-General; the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd; and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. Thank you, Prime Minister, for your immediate action in releasing $1,000 per adult and $400 per child in emergency relief payments. Thank you also for giving half a million dollars while you were on your visit in Mackay to match the Queensland government’s half a million dollars in its flood appeal. That will help all flood-affected areas in Queensland. On behalf of the people of Dawson, I say, from my heart, thank you. I sincerely congratulate and thank all the volunteers and emergency service workers on the ground. They have been working around the clock to help local families and small businesses get back on their feet as soon as possible. I say to the SES, the Red Cross, all the emergency services and Meals on Wheels: you are the true community heroes; you have done a magnificent job and we are proud of you.

There is no greater honour than to be elected to serve, represent and be a real voice for the community in this parliament. I promise to honourably represent my constituency, following in the footsteps of great community leaders such as William Forgan Smith; Dr Rex Patterson; and, in the state seat of Mackay, the former state opposition leader against the Bjelke-Petersen government, the late, great Edmund Casey.

For me, Australia truly has been the lucky country and the land of opportunity. From the East End of London to Southend in Essex, then to the east end of Mackay and now to the east wing of parliament, it has been a long journey and one that I only ever dreamed of. Mackay has given me among the things that I cherish most in life. It is in Mackay that I have built a home and raised a family. My daughters—Jazmin, 12, and Zoe, six—and son, Jade, nine, are my pride and joy, born to my former wife, Dr Rachel Bidgood, at the Mackay Base Hospital birthing centre. Unfortunately, the kids cannot be here today, but I have a photo of us together on the night that we won Dawson. I am so proud that they could share that historic moment with me. I want to thank my partner, Davina, for her love and support over the last couple of years.

To conclude, I promise to continue to listen and act on behalf of the people of Dawson. Rest assured that I listened when the prospect of a nuclear Australia was rejected by the constituents of Dawson. I listened when the people said they did not want unfair industrial relations laws. I will work for the people and, in government, make their voice heard. Labor will give voice to the voiceless, homes to the homeless, power to the powerless and strength to the weak. This Rudd Labor government stands for the rights and freedoms of association for the common good of all. The Labor Party stands united with the workers of this great nation of Australia, and this unity is the strength that will deliver a great future for Australia. (Time expired)

See this speech in context