Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to rise and speak in this place in the address-in-reply. I thank the people of the electorate of Kingston for returning me to this parliament for a third term. I am truly humbled by the confidence and trust that the residents of the southern suburbs have placed in me. The seat of Kingston is in outer metropolitan Adelaide, a wonderful location to live, work and raise a family, with beautiful beaches and some of the best wineries on our doorstep and with a strongly connected community. I am truly honoured to be their representative here in Canberra and will continue to work hard and fight for them in this place. Over the last six years as the member for Kingston I have fought to improve the quality of life of people living in the southern Adelaide region, and I will continue to fiercely do this.

As in many outer metro areas throughout Australia, services and infrastructure in Kingston are stretched and in need of improving. People look to government to help with those challenges. One area which is extremely important to the residents in my electorate is access to fast, affordable broadband. Australia's copper network has been outdated for some time, and it no longer caters for the needs of the community. Indeed, in some areas in my electorate, people cannot access any form of broadband due to insufficient infrastructure.

Areas in southern Adelaide were some of the first to be connected to the National Broadband Network. People in those areas are enjoying the economic and social benefits that a decent internet connection facilitates. I get regular endorsement of Labor's fibre-to-the-home NBN from people in my electorate, including older people, younger people, students, small business owners, and mums and dads. However, with the election of the Abbott government and the cancellation of the NBN, the government is creating a digital divide in our community between those who have access to 21st century infrastructure and those who do not. In some places, one side of the street has a fibre connection installed while the other side does not. This is not equitable and is incredibly short-sighted.

The coalition is creating so much uncertainty amongst local residents and small businesses when it comes to internet connection. Uncertainty around this access is affecting those who live in my electorate, including Imelda and Peter, who are in the process of establishing their business from their home in Silver Sands. This area was earmarked for the next stage of construction of fibre to the home, and they were excited about the opportunities that this would bring. Imelda stated that she has had experience of speeds in the nearby town of Willunga, which has already been connected to the NBN, and she was looking forward to establishing her business at home. However, it seems that Silver Sands has disappeared from the NBN map with no explanation. No solution has been offered by this government to the connection problems experienced by people such as Imelda and Peter. This not an isolated story; it is repeated right across my electorate. Unfortunately, under the previous coalition government, my electors had to put up with 18 failed broadband plans. It is time for a solution from this government. I will be fighting and calling for a solution every time I am in here, because people in my electorate need accessible broadband.

Accessible, affordable health care is also of incredible importance to those in my community. During the six years of the previous government, the Labor government, we saw an enormous investment in health in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. The Labor government understood the growing needs and challenges of the healthcare system, particularly in outer metropolitan areas. I am proud of the investments in expanded GP practices and after-hours GP access programs; the extensions to training programs; the investment in the Noarlunga GP superclinic; the investment in mental health initiatives, such as the headspace at Noarlunga; and, importantly, the investments in primary healthcare organisations such as the southern Medicare local.

It is, therefore, extremely concerning that, where we saw bulk-billing increase to 83 per cent under the previous Labor government, those investments are under threat. A $6 co-payment is hanging over the heads of all my electors. That has not been ruled out by the Liberal Party. It would put further cost-of-living pressures on families in my electorate and would put primary health care out of reach for many people. Decent health care is a human right, and there is a responsibility on government to ensure that people right around the country, including in my electorate, can access affordable health care when they need it, not just when they can afford it.

I am concerned about the Liberal government's plans to cut in the area of health care. Unfortunately, the Treasurer is hiding behind his Commission of Audit report, which is on his desk but has not been released to the people of Australia. It is time to for the Treasurer to come clean. What cuts are on the table when it comes to health? How will the report affect my local electors? They were not told this before the election. The bad news from this government seems to only be coming after the election.

I am also very passionate about Australia's health workforce—about ensuring that our nation is prepared to meet the challenges of providing a skilled workforce for the future. The previous Labor government worked hard to undo the damage of the Howard government. We invested in clinical training and uncapped GP training places to help ensure we were addressing the challenges of an ageing population and the complexities around chronic illnesses. Investing in prevention—about which there has been some debate in this place—is the only way that we can decrease the cost burden on the healthcare system. Stopping people from getting sick is our big challenge. It is now, more than ever, time to train and prepare our health workforce—whether that be our doctors, our nurses, our allied health professionals or our care workers. The government must not take their hands off the wheel like they did the last time they were in government. They must follow Labor's groundwork when it comes to training our health workforce.

I am also really proud that over the last six years the Labor government invested in infrastructure, including the Seaford rail extension in my electorate. This now means that southern Adelaide is home to one of the longest rail bridges in the world. But that is not the only good thing about this important project. The Labor government understood the importance of supporting and investing in both road and rail infrastructure in outer metropolitan areas such as southern Adelaide. After 30 years of this rail corridor being earmarked for an extension, we now have it built and, as of last Sunday, electric trains are running on it, connecting the Seaford area to the wider Adelaide region with fast, affordable public transport. With the electrification of the line, locals will be able to get into the CBD faster than they would if they were to get into their car and drive through peak hour traffic. The construction, as I said, is now complete and supported 400 jobs.

This was one of the projects that the then opposition said was a waste of money. Well, it is not a waste money to my electorate. I will be fighting for an extension to Aldinga as the important next step, and I am so pleased that the state Labor government has announced that it will buy the land to make sure that that corridor to Aldinga is there. I will certainly be calling on this government, as well as whoever forms government in the state, to fund this rail extension further, to Aldinga. It is critically important to my electorate.

It is disappointing that we have a Prime Minister who says he is an infrastructure Prime Minister but who, from my electorate's perspective, has only cut money from infrastructure. The Tonsley rail duplication and transport hub was already going ahead. Workers were already on the ground. The money that was provided under Labor's May budget has been cut, because the Prime Minister does not believe in investing in urban rail. This project will have significant benefits for people in the northern part of my electorate, giving them the ability to park and ride into the city on a faster, efficient service so that they can access the CBD and wider Adelaide. It is a travesty that this has been cut, and it shows a short-sighted government who will not commit to rail infrastructure and who seem to dismiss urban rail as something that they are not to get involved in. In fact, I think the Prime Minister likened it to knitting. I am not sure why he did that, but it is infrastructure that is desperately needed in communities, and I will fight for it in this place.

Before this government was elected, they did not tell the people of Australia about the many cuts of programs they were going to make. It is not just cuts in infrastructure; it is also cuts to smaller investments, in local sporting clubs and organisations, investments that would build healthier, more connected communities. In my electorate, already we have seen a cut of money to the Sammy D Foundation, who are looking at prevention of alcohol fuelled violence. We have seen cuts to clean tech grants which were supporting industry to move to cleaner energy. We have seen a cut to the upgrade to Bice oval, an important local sporting area, and a cut to the money that was going to facilitate planning for the Aldinga town square. These cuts will have a negative impact on both the social fabric of our community and the productivity of our local economy. Once again, I will be in here fighting to get these cuts reversed. I call on the Prime Minister and the government to reverse these cuts.

Families in my electorate support—and have regularly communicated this to me—the fundamental concept that, no matter where your child attends school, they deserve an excellent education. Everyone that I speak to knows how important it is to invest in our children's future. Therefore, providing funding to the students who need it the most is a critically important value. This is a strongly held belief in my community, and I agree it is the right thing to do—to ensure that we have an equitable society but, more importantly, that all our children are given the opportunity to succeed. I think even the Liberal Party and the National Party recognise the overwhelming support for that. Indeed, at the election they promised that they were on a unity ticket with Labor. Now we see them breaking their promise. Even the member for Boothby had signs up saying, 'We will match, dollar for dollar, the funding for every school; no school will miss out.' They knew it was a belief that was held by the community very strongly that we should invest in education and in a needs based system. Unfortunately we see the coalition walking away from this promise, saying one thing before the election and doing a very different thing after the election. I will be watching with great interest to ensure that the coalition keep their promise of matching, dollar for dollar, the funding for every school that was promised under Labor.

I was proud to go to the election with the position that Labor believed in co-investing with private enterprise to spur innovation and protect jobs. The news about Holden and Toyota leaving this country will impact the local manufacturing base in my electorate in a serious way. Significant components manufacturing exists in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. As a result of this news, it is extremely vulnerable. We need a government who will act and not sit on their hands. Where is their plan for jobs? We see nothing. Day after day Labor is in here calling the Prime Minister for a plan. We have seen some money announced for Holden. It is not enough. It is not enough to restructure South Australia's economy and Adelaide's economy. Sixty million dollars just does not cut it. We do not know where that money is. I call on the government. We need to support workers who have lost their jobs and we need to support the components manufacturers to diversify their businesses and connect with global supply chains. And we need regional readjustment. I will continue to fight for jobs for my constituents in this place, to demand action from this government to ensure that this very bad news about Holden and Toyota—and a number of other announcements—will not destroy economic productivity and economic benefit in my local electorate. Voters in my electorate are rightly concerned about their future, their jobs and their families. They want access to good education and services, and I will hold this government to account.

I offer my congratulations to my fellow South Australian Labor team, both those who were successful and those who were not at the most recent general election. It is wonderful to have returning with me to the 44th Parliament the member for Wakefield, the member for Adelaide, the member for Makin, the member for Port Adelaide and Senator Penny Wong. It is great to have South Australians back in this parliament fighting for Labor values and for South Australia.

It was unfortunate that two candidates were not successfully returned. Steve Georganas, former member for Hindmarsh, was an extremely hard-working member who was always standing up for his constituents in this place. His work in the health and ageing policy space demonstrated the focus on the issues that mattered to his constituents and he will be missed from this place. I also want to place on record my sadness and disappointment that Senator Don Farrell will not be returning to this place after June. I have known Don for many years and he is a decent person, a skilled advocate, a thoughtful and considered parliamentarian and a consensus builder. His passion for South Australia is boundless and his achievements in government are considerable. His exit will be a huge loss for the Senate and it is extremely unfortunate for South Australia that he will not be able to make a contribution in the South Australian parliament.

The result in Kingston that Labor received was an endorsement of our investment in health, education, jobs, infrastructure and the NDIS and a rejection of Tony Abbott's negative scare campaign. However, communicating our message and our vision takes a lot of work and there are many people I would like to thank for lending a hand. I would like to thank all the Labor Party supporters, as well as the community supporters who worked so hard standing at the polling booths all day. Without you we would not have had this result. For the first time since the seat was created, it did it not change hands with a change of government.

I would like to thank the Kingston FEC, including Phil and Jo Giles, John Gauci, Andrew and Lorrae Clarke, Vicki Williams, Thad Taylor, Peter Kitson, Ella Keegan-Treloar, Joy Parry, John Drew, as well as the many others branch member who have worked hard continuously to support me since becoming a candidate in 2006. I would like to thank my campaign team, including Tom Carrick-Smith, Peter Bouzalas, Sarah Huy, Jayson Bailey, Dustin Platt, Guy Wilcock, Gemma Paech and Micheal Bezuidenhout, all who volunteered their time, often while working or studying as well.

A big thank you also goes to my staff, who put so much work in at the election and continuously over the last six years. They never lose sight of what is important, and that is representing and delivering for people who need us. Thanks to Emmanuel Cusack, who has worked for me since 2007, and to Ellen Calam, since 2009. Thanks also to Daniel Nikoloski, Rebekah Huppatz, Connie Blefari, Sam Hamilton and Antony Coles, who went above and beyond what they needed to do during the election. They were great support.

I would like to make special mention of Mary Portsmouth, who retired after this election having worked for me for the last six years. Mary has been a stalwart of the Labor movement, has worked on shop floors, in factories, and in retail and aged care, always standing up for others in her workplace. She will be missed by many constituents. I wish her well in her extensive travel plans. Replacing her is Ethne Lange, who has joined our team and is able to step into Mary's big shoes.

I would like to thank my crack campaign manager, Josh Peak, for his energy, passion, drive, ideas and vision. He ensured that our campaign was run extremely well, stayed on message and was very well organised. The Labor Party and the Labor movement is and will be extremely well served with people like Josh at its heart. I have no doubt he will be in this place some day.

To those in the union movement who supported me, including Peter Malanalskis, Bob Donnelly and John Camillo, thank you so much for your support. To both the national and state ALP offices, including George Wright and Reggie Martin and their teams, thank you so much, as well as all the hard-working Labor staffers throughout our organisation.

I would like to thank my mum and dad, who help every election getting posters up and pulling them down and setting up booths, and to my in-laws, Wendy and David Walker, who have been roped in to help out as well. Thanks to my wonderful husband, Tim. Tim is a conscript to political activism, but despite that, he stayed up for 48 hours before polling day, setting up booths and pulling down corflutes.

Finally to the voters of Kingston, I will endeavour to serve you whether or not you voted for me. I will be a strong voice here in this parliament or whenever you need me to be your advocate. For those voters who did put their faith in me, I will not let you down.

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