Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In the spirit of reconciliation, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. I pay my respects to elders, past and present. I extend respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.

Our First Nations people are at the heart of our national identity, and the identity of First Nations people must be at the heart of our nation. The spirit of reconciliation must not be confined to pleasant words and false promises. It must not be determined by those who do not directly represent First Nations people. It must stem from a source of action—action to reconcile, action to represent and action to recognise. It was Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and a Labor government who poured the stolen soil from the Gurindji people back into the hands of Vincent Lingiari. It was Prime Minister Keating and a Labor government who confronted our national identity when Keating delivered the Redfern address. And it was Kevin Rudd and a Labor government who led the parliament in an apology to our First Nations people. And it will be Anthony Albanese and this Labor government who will implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full: Voice, treaty and truth.

With a draft question suggested, it is now time to listen and make our way towards implementation. In doing so, we progress a referendum to constitutionally enshrine the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament as a matter of priority. For far too long, tragedy has unfolded in First Nations Australians: they die too soon, they are educated far less, incarcerated too often and suffer more preventable disease. It is saddening to me that not much has changed in the 10 years since the apology. It's really time to improve, finally, the lives of First Nations people. These issues are generational and structural, and the only way to remedy the issues is to implement structural change while talking with first Australians. The Uluru Statement from the Heart, constitutional recognition and an Indigenous Voice to parliament will work towards doing this.

Last year's election was a choice, and I want to thank the people of Werriwa for choosing me to be their representative in the federal parliament for a third term. It is an amazing honour to represent an area where I have lived all of my life and where I have raised my children. No campaign is won through the actions of a single person, and that rings true, of course, for my campaign. There were so many people willing to sacrifice their hard-earned time to help re-elect me and a Labor government. I want to acknowledge all the volunteers and branch members who helped out in any way they could. Whether by letterboxing, doorknocking, phone-banking, pre-poll or on election day, your help was vital in our success and you should be as proud as I am humbled of what we achieved together.

I would like to extend a special thank you to my staff, who supported me during the tough campaign: Sharon, Natalina, Liam, Adrian and Raff. I appreciate your support and care for our community. To former staff members Nathan and Christy: thank you for your support over the past three years. I would also like to acknowledge my campaign manager extraordinaire, Loretta Fletcher, who steered the ship so well and whose friendship and support I am always really grateful for. I'd like to thank Ethan, Stella and Daniel for the support that they also gave the campaign.

It would be remiss of me if I did not mention the wonderful elected members of parliament in my part of the world, a group of people who truly care about our community. I acknowledge them for their support: the members for Macarthur, Liverpool, Macquarie Fields, Fairfield and Campbelltown, and also the Liverpool, Campbelltown and Fairfield Labor councillors. I look forward to our continued work together, this time in government, to improve the lives of people we represent.

I also acknowledge the support of my family whose unconditional support, advice, help and love is always appreciated. Larry, Matthew, Christopher, Andrew, Chantell, Siobhan, Kate, Meaghan, Horatio and Kathy and my wider friends and family: I couldn't have done any of this without you and I certainly couldn't have staffed several of the booths.

On Saturday 21 May, there was a culmination of Australia's eligible voters participating in democracy and voting for a change in government for a better future. Over 13 million voters made a choice in this election, many of whom participating for the first time. They expect a lot from this government, and I will work to ensure that they are not disappointed because Australia really did need a change in direction. But democracy is fragile and, with the pursuit of political point scoring comes the danger of misleading voters. Words matter. What you do matters. Once the trust of the system is lost, societies start to disintegrate. It is not okay to make up fanciful or farcical things about policies or opponents.

The lies I observed during this election campaign are something that I have not experienced in 30 years of political activism, and it needs to stop. Basic politeness and truth are necessary. Bullying voters is not okay, telling them untruths is not okay and manipulating images and words is neither cute nor funny. It is also not okay for members of the public or those running for office to continually break rules and abuse the process. Perhaps the most egregious example of this was when a message went out to voters on election day revealing the arrival of an asylum boat, completely ignoring previous policies of that government about on-water matters and other conventions.

I would, however, really like to congratulate the AEC workers across Australia and especially those who handled the election for the seat of Werriwa. They work long and stressful hours in the election period, but they are beyond reproach, ensuring that elections are run fairly. They do not deserve what I saw in terms of the abuse that they got. In future, members of the parliament and those seeking office should think about that.

Thankfully, though, not just the people of Werriwa but Australia as a whole didn't fall for these misleading comments or succumb to widespread misinformation. They voted for a better future. They voted for a better life, because Labor will strengthen Medicare; we have already made child care cheaper; we will build more affordable housing, and we will address the structural issues that cause inequality. People voted for secure, well-paid jobs as Labor creates them in growing industries, offering 465,000 fee-free TAFE places, creating up to 20,000 new university places and closing the gender pay gap. Our government has already delivered fee-free TAFE places, starting from the beginning of this year.

Australians voted for a future made in Australia. Our Labor government will back Australian workers and businesses, invest in our manufacturing capability, diversify our economy and make Australia self-reliant—something that was clearly necessary through the last few years and, sadly, wasn't there. The Albanese government has already introduced much of the legislation needed to enact these promises, and we will continue to work to improve the economy and the fabric for Australians.

The Jobs and Skills Summit held in September last year saw what a government can really do when it talks to its constituents. With delegates from all corners of Australian society, there was a mood for change, with 36 immediate initiatives identified to help spur wages growth and alleviate the skills shortage. Australians voted for action on climate change, and Labor has already legislated for net zero by 2050, with a 43 per cent reduction target by 2030. It will be backed by the creation of over 600,000 jobs, complemented by our Rewiring the Nation plan and the electric car discount and community batteries policies. Australians voted for a national anti-corruption commission, and Labor has already passed legislation in this House for a commission with teeth. With every state having a dedicated corruption commission, it's really an embarrassment that the previous government failed to even table a piece of legislation in the House. Integrity is one of the key issues that voters care about, and action has to be taken.

Australians want to see our oldest citizens afforded proper care and dignity, and our government has already implemented significant numbers of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety final report, with work continuing to implement more.

They voted to put the humans back into human services, and to protect the NDIS and get it back on track so that it works for people with a disability and, more importantly, works with them. The Albanese government and Minister Shorten have worked to improve the NDIS, streamlining cases before the AAT and improving support to participants.

The Albanese government is also working to ensure that Australians can live in housing they can afford by building up to 30,000 new social and affordable housing over the next five years, Twenty thousand homes will be for some of our most vulnerable members of our society—particularly those fleeing family violence and older Australians at the risk of homelessness—and 10,000 of those homes will be for frontline workers who selflessly worked every day through the global pandemic, keeping us safe.

Australians have been feeling the effects of nine years of neglect. Those most vulnerable who live in social housing have experienced it firsthand. Their houses have been left to fall apart, without repair for years, especially in remote Indigenous communities, which are experiencing some of the worst housing standards in the world. We've committed $200 million to tackle this problem.

The wait for social housing in my part of the world is 20 years, and a decade of New South Wales Liberal government has just made this worse. Several of my constituents have come to my office telling me that their social housing is about to be sold, which is causing even more distress at the possibility of having to leave a community they've lived in for more than 60 years. Unfortunately, the letters telling them that the houses would be sold do not come with a real indication of what happens next for them or how people who have lived in their home for 40 or 60 years are going to be able to make that move. This is something that has got to be rethought for my community.

We know that young people have been acutely affected by the pandemic exacerbating issues that disproportionately affect them, such as mental health, housing and job security. The results of the 2021 census show us that Werriwa is a significantly younger electorate than the rest of Australia and New South Wales and that the median age is 34 compared to New South Wales's average of 39. According to the Salvation Army Social Justice Stocktake, the biggest issues that my constituents care about are mental health and housing affordability—with housing affordability coming a close second. That's why the commitment, at the last election, for a headspace in Edmondson Park, in my electorate, will be something that will be welcomed by young people there. Ultimately, these local and national initiatives mean that the people of Australia no longer need to feel left behind by their government. They no longer have to put up with someone who never takes responsibility and constantly sprouts untruths. The Australian people have a leader and a team to take responsibility for things that matter most to Australians.

The 2021 census showed Werriwa is becoming more diverse, with almost 50,000 of our residents being born overseas and 66 per cent of households using a language other than English at home. But Werriwa is not a static electorate. Our cultural identity constantly shifts, ebbing and flowing as the rich diversity of cultures that is south-west Sydney continues to grow and call our suburbs home. Not only are we a culturally diverse community; we're also a spiritual one compared to the rest of New South and Australia as a whole. I am always honoured to attend observations in Catholic, Anglican, Islamic, Buddhist or Hindu places of worship and schools, and to join observations for Ramadan, Eid, Diwali, Holi and Lunar New Year, Easter, Christmas and the other wonderful celebrations and events. I sincerely thank the members of these congregations for their patience and generosity. By inviting me to share your beliefs and customs, you enrich my understanding of the world as a whole and of our community.

The electors of Werriwa have needed a government that will work for them, with meaningful policies to address GP availability, affordable medicines, housing, climate change and aged care, and a federal ICAC. With our communities in south-west Sydney growing rapidly and with the new developments and the creation of the Western Sydney airport, it is important that there is proper planning and sustainable growth. Jobs from both the construction phase of the airport and ongoing jobs need to be created, to the benefit of the local area. We also need the infrastructure, the road networks and train networks, that will service the airport and make our part of the world continue to work.

I will continue to fight for the residents of Werriwa on the issues that they care about, and I thank them all for supporting my election, and me, again.

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