Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

It's a real pleasure to deliver the following speech prepared by Erika Yu, an 18-year-old student from the Chifley electorate, and I want to thank her in advance for her thoughtful words.

'When asked what I want Australia to look like in 20 years, I could list all the things that need improving, from addressing the housing crisis to addressing the climate crisis, and the hopeful restoration of colour in the Great Barrier Reef; from the eradication of period poverty to the improvement of education to do with day-to-day matters, particularly that of sexual health and wellbeing; from a decrease in mental health issues to an equal and equitable society where value is not dependent on age, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or wealth. But these wants mean nothing without action. For any of the issues prevalent in society, the first step we need to take is to bridge the gap between the people. The pandemic has made obvious and worse the disconnection, distrust and lack of communication or understanding between politicians and the general public. We need more people in parliament in communities, with the people seeing the real lives behind the numbers whilst fostering better relationships and humanising politicians. We need to encourage more discourse to bring to light the issues people care about the most, and create more public advocacy initiatives in campaigns like this one, creating more communication and advocacy outlets that will allow society to work on the most pressing matters of the people, putting the general public's voice at the forefront of progression. The voice of the people heard will create a future that aligns with the vision of the public, thus achieving the changes in society we hope to see. Whilst I do not expect these changes to occur overnight, I call for intergenerational cooperation for a better, brighter, happier and healthier tomorrow. Thank you.' And thank you, Erika, for that.

Another person I want to recognise for their passionate advocacy is also a young person from Chifley, Teagan Hodges, who nine years ago was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and, as she says: 'Living with it is full-on. There are no days off, and it can and does change hour to hour.' She is currently raising awareness through the campaign More Tech for More People, where there are subsidies provided for continuous glucose monitors. But that stops when they reach the age of 21, which means that when Teagan turns 21 mid-next year, she'll have to stump up $4,000 extra to fund this. The use of CGMs is crucial in helping people manage their blood glucose levels, and type 1 diabetes won't disappear when they turn 21. Teagan has also highlighted that over 1,000 people live with this in the Chifley electorate, of which 408 will have complications, and there are hundreds that go undiagnosed. And she is, rightly, pushing parliamentarians to provide further support through the More Tech for More People campaign, and I'll certainly be putting my weight behind that very important initiative. Thank you, Teagan, and thank you, Erika, for your advocacy.

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