Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I begin my contribution to this address-in-reply debate by thanking the very good people of Adelaide for returning me to this place once more, and I put on the record my gratitude for their support and for the faith they have placed in me. Of course that is something that none of us should take lightly, and we know that it is our job to work each and every day to make sure we repay their faith in us. Whilst this address-in-reply debate is an opportunity for the government to outline what they seek to achieve over the course of this parliament, it is also an opportunity for each and every one of us to outline our priorities and the key issues we will be seeking to pursue. My absolute No. 1 priority is to stand up strongly for the people of Adelaide. For almost 10 years now I have come to this place and tried to make sure that I represent honestly and forcefully their views and their opinions, and I look forward to continuing to do that over the course of the next three years.

Before talking about some of the issues and some of the views that the people of Adelaide have asked that I bring forward to this place, I would like to thank a few people for assisting me to be here. Of course there is the Adelaide community. I have now run in four federal election campaigns, and never before have I seen the kind of support from local community members that we saw during the course of the last campaign. It was remarkable to have people who had not come through the ranks of the Labor Party or any political party, but who were working out in the community, ringing the office and saying they wanted to help. We had people dropping off supplies to feed our volunteers. One remarkable community member, having heard me on radio, knew that I was unwell and the next day they brought a get-well pack, which included honey and lemon and all sorts of remedies, to get me through.

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