Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to nag but will never reach your Olympian nagging heights! I was therefore very proud when our Prime Minister chose Smithton and the historic mill of the Britton Bros to announce our forest policy and $20 million industry package. This, along with our other working family positive policies and our industrial relations policy, saw an 11 per cent swing back to Labor in Smithton and other forest booths. I felt in no small way vindicated in my stance and grateful to a party and a leader prepared to do the right thing by once again balancing the important needs of industry, working families and the environment and by putting that policy out publicly and early. The rest is history.

The return of Braddon to Labor was no accident. The voters of Braddon perceived unfairness and arrogance in Labor in the 2004 election. The same verdict played out for the Howard government in November 2007. I would like to place on the record that the 2007 vote was not primarily a reflection of the work of my predecessor, Mark Baker, as such—and I thank him and his team for their hard work from 2004 to 2007. It was, I suggest, a repudiation of the methods and arrogance of John Howard and his government. Just as Mark Latham adopted without consultation or notice a radical policy which affected the lives and jobs of working people in Braddon, so too did John Howard with his so-called Work Choices legislation, which cruelly offered little choice to workers. This was introduced only after he had won the 2004 election and gained control of the Senate. It stirred a dispirited union movement into a grand cause, which in turn rallied many working families and individuals to action. Federal Labor joined this cause and, for the first time in many years, the Labor movement united in a common campaign against an unfair industrial relations system. Mums and dads, grandparents, uncles and aunts and the young rallied against this attack on the fair go.

Mr Howard’s self-professed aspirational nationalism had nothing to do with uniting the nation. People in Braddon saw through this and they saw that it had a lot to do with Mr Howard’s political aspirations. Kevin Rudd, on the other hand, captured the mood, interest and aspirations of millions of Australians, in stark contrast to the old politics of the Howard era of wedge politics and pandering to interest groups. The people of Braddon know what is fair and reasonable and, just as they did in the elections before and no doubt will continue to do in the future, they voted accordingly in 2004 and 2007. There is nothing fickle about this. They vote primarily on what they perceive to be a fair go for the majority and, as much as I suffered from it in 2004, I would not want it any other way. I sincerely thank the electors of Braddon for again choosing me to represent them both in Canberra and at home, and I will do so to the best of my ability and energy. I have a new team on board and already we are flat out with constituent enquiries.

My journey back was encouraged and supported by many people, many of whom are in this place and gave that as a result of my association with them as a former member and colleague. I hope that I do not embarrass anyone, as some belong to the other side, but they were concerned for me as a friend and individual and shared the similar prospect of winning or losing. I thank in no particular order and with equal gratitude, and I pray I have not left anybody out, the following: Kim Beazley, Martin Ferguson, Julia Gillard, Craig Emerson, Michael Danby, Steve Gibbons, Julia Irwin, Brendan O’Connor, Simon Crean, Carol Brown, Kerry O’Brien, Kirsten Livermore, Dick Adams, John Murphy and Harry Jenkins. My friend and colleague Senator Nick Sherry and his office were constant supporters and provided invaluable help. In particular, I thank my special mate and confidante Sally Young, along with my lovely cousin, Tresa, and Shane, Robyn, Marcus, Richard and Leonie. Andrew K. from Canberra gave up his annual leave to come down and work on my campaign, and I will always be grateful.

Special thanks also go to Tracey Winters, Kim Pagan, Sally Pugsley and Michael O’Connor for their individual friendship and encouragement. Kerry Whittle, Norm Britton, Leigh Jordan, Matt Tidswell, Steve Allen, Justine Keay, Beth Lockett, Ken and Brenton Best, Grace Matcham, Dee Alty and Julie Collins were always there with their support and encouragement, as were my local Labor Party branches. I also want to sincerely thank Labor’s National Secretary, Tim Gartrell, Elias, David Feeney, Paul Foster and Monique Woodham-Earsman for their terrific support. I was very proud to work alongside my very active local Your Rights at Work team, so ably led by Jill Batt, and I thank them for their hard work, determination and solidarity. So too do I thank the many unions who backed me in my campaign. My friend Christian Zahra, the former wonderful member for McMillan, never stopped encouraging and supporting me even though he too lost his seat in 2004. Christian Zahra was probably the most inspirational of my parliamentary peers from my first class, the class of ’98, and was a major reason why I am fortunate to be a member of the class of 2007—thank you, matey. I am already missing our games of squash. The driving force behind my campaign was the indomitable, hardworking, superorganised, ultranagging political warrior and all-round good bloke John Dowling. I thank you, John, from the bottom of my heart. I was so very proud when you were recently appointed state secretary of the Tasmanian branch of the Labor Party.

In speech after speech there comes a time when new and returning MPs reach a point of almost emotional saturation—where there is an extra deep breath, a slight pause, sometimes a moist eye, and the gathering of the self—when they reflect in an instant on the influence, love and support of their loved ones. My mum and dad were alive to see me elected to this House in 1998 and 2001. They both died before I lost my seat in 2004, but I know they would be pleased to see their ‘Pete’ not throw the towel in after 2004 but keep pressing on to finish the business. They are constantly in my heart and they are certainly with me now. I also love and thank my brothers and sister—Geoff, John, Essie and Jenny—and their lovely families. My strongest supporters and the ones who love me most—so often undeserved by me—are my family: my lovely wife, Bron, who asks and expects nothing of me but encourages me to find personal happiness and fulfilment—whenever and if ever; and my two beautiful sons, Julian and William, who have always supported my endeavours whether they be in career, theatre or politics. I thank them for their love and indulgence. I thank all members and wish you a very successful and happy parliamentary career.

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