Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I might indulge just for a moment, because the member for Monash often gives the speakers prior to him a few comments and a few generous words. If I may, there are two things I admire about the member for Monash. One is that we often disagree in this place but the member for Monash always disagrees respectfully, and he is someone who always respects different views and does so in a very calm, kind and considered way. The other thing I admire about the member for Monash is that there is an authenticity about the member for Monash that not every member in this place has. You always know where the member for Monash stands. He is true to himself. That sometimes means he moves slightly to the edges of the party lines, but I think he's constantly true to himself. He is an authentic member in this place, and we are better for it, and I acknowledge the member for Monash.

There are so many people to thank. I will go through some of them, but I would firstly remark that the election result in Macnamara this year was extremely close, and I am extremely privileged and proud to be here, to be standing in this incredible room to represent the people of Macnamara. While I am humbled by the fact that the Labor Party was the party that was awarded the most primary votes at this election, there were a considerable number of votes put in the trust of other political parties. That's something that I take with great humility and with great respect for my political opponents. They worked extremely hard, and I acknowledge them, all of their volunteers and all of the true believers across the political divide. Our democracy was in full flight in Macnamara; it was a beautiful thing.

We had seven debates in the lead-up to the election, which kept me busy in the last few weeks. We had the climate debate hosted by the Port Phillip climate emergency group, PECAN. We had two Southbank debates, both with different community groups in Southbank. We had a debate hosted by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Albert Park. We had a debate hosted in St Kilda by a community group called Unchained, and then we had a debate on JOY FM on Saturday morning—not JOY FM, JOY 94.9. Sorry about that to my friends Macca and Tass who are on JOY 94.9. That is the wonderful LGBTIQ community radio station.

So democracy was alive in Macnamara. It was a real contest, and a lot of people put a lot of hours into it. A large number of candidates put their hand up and nominated to be the member for Macnamara, and, for the second time, I am deeply grateful to the people of Macnamara for giving me this privilege. But I also will acknowledge Colleen Harkin, from the Liberal Party, and especially Steph Hodgins-May. She was the Greens candidate. It's not the first time she has run, and she and her volunteers put in an extremely strong campaign. At the Victorian election, she became a mum for the second time, to a baby girl. Congratulations to Steph and her partner, Ogy, and to Otis, her son. I wish them all the best for the next chapter as their little family grows.

To my team: I am extremely proud of all of the effort—all of the time and dedication and heart—that went into supporting our campaign in Macnamara. I can say proudly that two of the key pillars of my campaign have gone on to bigger and better things. They've left the humble Macnamara team and my team to go on to do better things. One of my staff members has joined the Prime Minister's office. I won't embarrass him by saying that he's joined us in the chamber today, but it was a great achievement and he's certainly a worthy member of that high office. Dean will do the absolute best that he can, not only for the Prime Minister but also for the people of Australia.

The other person I would like to acknowledge is Belinda Wilson. Belinda Wilson is an extraordinary person. She has hustle and heart and drive. It's not a surprise that the Labor Party preselected her to be the candidate for Narre Warren North in the state election that we just had, and I'm extremely proud that one of my former team members got elected to become the member for Narre Warren North. She will make an almighty contribution for the people of Narre Warren North.

The people of Narre Warren North have a representative who will work as hard as she possibly can to deliver the things that they need—better schools, better roads, better transport and better health care. She will work with everything she's got to deliver for them, and I congratulate her, my dear friend Belinda, for becoming a member of the state parliament. I congratulate Willow, Bridie, Kane, Ned and the whole Wilson family on their fantastic achievement. It was a group effort.

I also want to acknowledge my other campaign team, Roman and Alex, who were just tireless in the way they corralled volunteers, came out doorknocking with me and made phone calls with me. We spoke to thousands of people in Macnamara, and for months on end they—especially Roman—were determined. Every bit that they contributed helped get us over the line. In such a tight contest, they helped to deliver votes via their simple conversations about why they were there, why they wanted to see a Labor government, why they wanted to see an end to the Morrison government and what it meant for them and their friends.

I also want to acknowledge my other staff members. Some of them have left, but I'm going to mention all of those who have worked in my office, because I'm proud of all of them—Adam, Adele, Ariel, Dakota, Deborah, Joseph and Ryan—and my former staff members, Belinda, Mickey, my dear friend Millie, Ella, John, who still gives me advice when I deserve it, Toby and Simon.

We had 31 booths across Macnamara, and I want to thank all of those booth captains who stood out there all day, especially those scrutineers. Not just on election day, but we had scrutineers in Macnamara for about 10 days after in a cold shed in Port Melbourne. They were just tireless and made sure every vote was counted in the appropriate way, and I appreciate all of their hard work. I especially want to mention Millie, who led the scrutineering team in the cold shed after doing nursing shifts, and Jane, who came in every single day with her clipboard. I think Jane had the strike rate of picking up any ballots that weren't 100 per cent in order—so, Jane, I really appreciate you.

I couldn't have done this campaign without my campaign committee—Abby, Julia, Louise, Raff, Simone, Toby, Ricky, Wesser and Adam. They were constant in their advice, but more so in their hard work. We met regularly and we helped corral, fundraise and make the campaign in Macnamara happen.

I also want to make mention of the incredible Labor team in head office. We have won this year, in 2022, thanks to Chris Ford, our state secretary, and his team of assistant secretaries, and thanks to other staff members of Cam Petrie and Nicola Castleman. We hold 21 seats in Victoria. We certainly hold the majority of seats in Victoria at a federal level. And now, for the third time, we've been re-elected at the state level under the leadership of Daniel Andrews. But that campaigning machine has done a remarkable job. Two from two isn't bad. It's not every year that you have a Labor victory federally and at a state level. That head office team in Victoria did such a tireless job. I pay tribute to them and their professionalism. I thank them for everything that they did for me, and, of course, I also pay tribute to national office headed by my good friend Paul Erickson, who I admire very much. He is one of the best political minds, one of the hardest workers and one of the most decent people I've come across.

I also want to give an acknowledgement to a couple of people who helped me on the sidelines, as well, who I've turned to when I needed advice. One is my dear friend Ari Suss, who I owe a lot to. He is someone who has been a friend and someone who has been there for me as a mentor and as someone I know has always looked out for my interests. I deeply appreciate everything he's done for me.

I also want to acknowledge the late Kimberley Kitching, who was working on the Macnamara campaign right up until she passed away. I've spoken about her in this place and in others. I thank Kimberley. She loved Macnamara; she really loved the community of Macnamara. She thought all of the little nooks and crannies were just wonderful—as I do. She saw the beauty in my electorate and she knew it as well as anyone. She understood the strategy and the politics of it. And I pay tribute to her.

Of course I realise that to be in this place and to become a member of parliament you really have to give everything you've got. There is no such thing as a safe seat. It's physically and intellectually and emotionally the most draining and exhausting experience that I've ever been through. You are just constantly tested and constantly pushed. While the ebbs and flows of being a member of parliament are extraordinary, nothing quite compares to the campaign. But you cannot give of yourself and lead a team through that without the people who you love, especially your family.

I'm extremely fortunate to have such an incredible support network. I don't know how many people came up to me and said, 'I saw your mum on the corner of South Melbourne Market,' or 'I saw your dad handing out bags,' or 'Your dad came and delivered corflutes to my home'—or whatever they were doing. My parents have been extraordinary supporters, and I'm deeply grateful to them for all of their love and all of their support. They have enabled and supported me to do everything that I have chosen to do in this world. Of course I also thank my brother and my sister.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Zoe, who, throughout the campaign, gave me all the support I needed to pour everything I had into this campaign. She runs a small business and is doing extremely well and works extremely hard, but she is someone I couldn't do this job without, and I appreciate everything she did for me throughout the campaign. We must be doing something okay because our daughter, Tia, is the best thing in the entire world. Being away from her is the worst part of this job. I hope that one day, once this is all done, we can look back and realise that the work we did was worth it and that the time we spent away and the sacrifices we made were worth it. The time my family spends together is the best part of my life. I hope and look forward to seeing my daughter grow up and do everything she needs to do in this world.

In the last few minutes I'll just touch on some of the things that I saw in the election and what I'm going to try and do this term. The top of the list for the people of Macnamara at the last election was to take climate change and environmental management seriously and to be sincere in our endeavour to try and turn this global challenge around. It is something I've heard from so many people I represent and it's something I take extremely seriously. I hope that when I reflect on my career—whenever that is—that is something people will say I was consistent on. We must be a part of the generation that does everything we can to tackle climate change. I believe we can and I'm proud of the measures we've already taken. I am proud that we now have a climate change bill. I am proud that we are moving towards electric vehicles. I am proud that we've signed international pledges. I am proud that they're going to designate 30 per cent of our environment for wildlife. I'm proud of the fact that we're transitioning, which is an extraordinarily massive task.

To transition from the power that has enabled not only economic prosperity but also the function of our society into something completely different is unprecedented. It is something that should not be underestimated, but it's something that we have to do and it's something that I am determined to be a part of. Of course, we need to have leadership in environmental management, and that is something that I am confident the Minister for the Environment, when she responds to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act review by Professor Samuels, will address when she comes to this place with a legacy of reform that we can all be proud of.

The other thing that people had at the top of their agenda was the way politicians conduct themselves in the chamber. They said that they conduct themselves with professionalism and dignity in their workplaces across Macnamara. They respect their colleagues, and I think they expect, when looking at this place, the same sort of integrity and the same sort of professionalism that they uphold in their own workplaces. I don't think that parliament reflects that. We need a more constructive parliament, but they also said they wanted to see a change in the institutions that ensure that we have the highest possible standards in this place. I'm extremely proud of my good friend the Attorney-General who has navigated through the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which will be a great legacy of his and of this parliament. Many members have contributed to the legislation for the establishment of this commission, and it is a sign that this is a collaborative and forward-thinking parliament. It's a parliament that believes in institutions and creating organisations and government agencies to help to lift the standard of behaviour in politics while giving confidence to the Australian people that we in this place take our job seriously. We take our responsibility seriously and we want to ensure that we are striving for high standards in high office.

Another big issue that people resoundingly raised with me was the cost of living. If you are a young person in this country and you're entering the workplace, you will be going into a workplace with as high a rate of casual employment as we've had in the history of our country. At the same time, it's never been harder to get into the housing market. If you're female, you're more likely to be paid less and you're more likely to work in industries where the pay is significantly lower for women than it is for men. You're also likely to retire with less superannuation. We have huge economic obstacles, and the design of our economy and the way in which it functions means that we in this place, because we hold the biggest levers in our economy, need to strive to use these levers so that the economy works for Australian people and so that Australian people, when they complete their 40 to 45 years of working for our wonderful country, have something to show for it. It's why increasing wages is a very important endeavour. It's why moving away from casualised work towards permanent work is a really important endeavour. It's why I'm proud of our industrial relations reform. It's why I'm proud of the budget that we have set down, but I acknowledge that there is more work to be done.

We are very, very lucky to be here, and I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be a member of this great institution. I believe in the House of Representatives, and I believe in our parliament. I believe it can be a force for good. For however long I serve the people of Macnamara, I'll do so to the best of my ability and with the utmost effort. But it is not possible without the support of the wonderful people of Macnamara, and for that I say a very deep thank you to them.

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