Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

As we return to parliament in this new year I'd like to begin this contribution by saying thank you to the good people of Greenway for putting their faith in me once again to represent them in this place. There can be no higher honour than to represent the people from the community that has been your life. Western Sydney has always been my home. I grew up in Lalor Park, attended St Bernadette's school, played netball at the local Blacktown courts and went to high school at Our Lady of Mercy Parramatta. That's why representing Greenway since 2010 isn't just political for me; it's personal. And it brings me such joy to say that, with more than 20 per cent of the frontbench in the Albanese government now from Western Sydney, there has never been more representation for Western Sydney in the federal cabinet then there is right now.

Of course, last year was a challenging one for many constituents in my electorate. The floods that hit north-west Sydney in June and July and earlier in the year had a devastating impact on our community. Families were upended when they had to be evacuated, homes were damaged and destroyed, livestock was relocated and possessions were ruined. For some people in our electorate, this wasn't the first or second flooding event that year; it was the third. But, as always, our community came together.

The Blacktown and Hawkesbury SES volunteers bravely evacuated residents and livestock on the front line. They answered phones around the clock and helped residents out. Sue, Angela, Warren, Alex, Vanessa and Sharon from the Riverstone Neighbourhood Centre provided crucial support to Greenway residents, from helping them navigate how to get government assistance to sourcing and delivering new furniture for households that needed it. The Ahmadiyya mosque in Marsden Park sent volunteers to help flood-relief efforts. There was an abundance of donations for those who needed them, including everyday necessities going to places like the Riverstone Neighbourhood Centre for distribution. Facebook groups were filled with community members offering food, transport and other forms of support to their neighbours.

I'm proud to say that his is what Greenway residents do in challenging times: We help one another, and this time was no exception. What did differ this time was how the government responded to this disaster. The Albanese government acted swiftly to respond to flood victims and give them the help they so desperately needed. By mid-July almost 528,000 people who had been affected by the severe storms and flooding in New South Wales had already received more than $436 million in Australian government disaster assistance. And businesses and households across 42 local government areas in New South Wales, including the Blacktown LGA, became eligible to access additional rental support payments and rural landowner grants. This fast, significant response acknowledged the experiences of our electorate and beyond during this extremely trying time. It's certainly a response that makes clear how the Albanese government cares for Australians.

The budget that was announced in October of last year—this government's first budget—demonstrated our dedication to creating a better future for all Australians. I'm so pleased to say that the budget contained a range of commitments to improve the overall quality of life for Australians, including those living in Western Sydney. When COVID lockdowns hit, the people of Western Sydney were unfairly confined to a five-kilometre radius, and during this time it became clear that many families didn't have the local infrastructure they needed. As our region continues to grow, with suburbs like Riverstone expect to increase by 318 per cent by 2040, we need to ensure families have sufficient local infrastructure. This is where the Greenway Better Local Living Plan comes in. It's a plan designed by Greenway families through a series of surveys and outreach for Greenway families. We listened closely to local residents, who asked for a more playful, safer and more diverse selection of local infrastructure.

Our commitments, as promised prior to the election, include new and upgraded play spaces across Schofields, Tallawong, Riverstone and Grantham Farm; fencing to make existing play spaces safer in the areas of Parklea, Seven Hills, Lalor Park, Quakers Hill and Kings Langley; a new and exciting community water play area in Schofield for those hot summer days; and district-scale walking trails in Lalor Park, Quakers Hill and Grantham Farm to help better connect residents into local active transport networks. As a mum of two young girls myself, I understand that parents want to provide the very best opportunity to their, children and these commitments are all about improving the quality of life for families in Greenway.

Another commitment designed to do just that is the north-west Sydney roads package. The Albanese government has committed $75 million to finalise planning and commence the initial construction of Bandon Road and Richmond Road in the north-west growth corridor. We are also taking the politics out of infrastructure planning Western Sydney by establishing expert panel to look at the regions needs. This is an important long-term project for the north-west Sydney community. Residence, particularly in Riverstone and surrounds, have been crying out for action by the New South Wales government for over a decade. I look forward to keeping our north-west Sydney community updated throughout this process.

In 2023 the Albanese government is working hard to deliver for the Australian people. During our first six months in government, we passed more than 60 bills in the parliament and delivered an increase in the minimum wage and a pay rise for aged-care workers, cheaper child care and 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave. We also convened the Jobs and Skills Summit, established Jobs and Skills Australia, expanded the Commonwealth seniors health card, established a royal commission into robodebt, advanced a voice to parliament, repaired our international relations, established the National Anti-Corruption Commission and passed legislation to get wages moving.

This new year, the Albanese government will continue to deliver the positive change of Australians voted for. We won't waste a day. We're staying focused on easing pressure on families and helping Australians manage their budgets. Cheaper medicines took effect on 1 January, making life a little easier for Australians who rely on prescriptions. Cheaper child care will benefit 1.2 million families from 1 July. We know that this will help ease financial stress for families across the country and is also a vital productivity measure. There are now 180,000 fee-free TAFE places available to tackle skills shortages and help more Australians train for good, better-paying jobs. We are bringing people together to tackle the challenges in front of us today as well as making lasting reforms that build a better future. At the heart of our approach is making sure Australians have the economic security they need to live the lives they aspire to.

On that point, in just a few weeks the good people of New South Wales will be given the opportunity to vote for a fresh start with the Chris Minns New South Wales Labour government. In north-west Sydney we have a handful of hardworking locals who are dedicated to delivering the best for their community. For the seat of Riverstone we have Warren Kirby, a local business owner who wants to deliver better for this part of Sydney, from better supporting small businesses to ensuring that crucial infrastructure like hospitals are accessible and adequate for local residents. Sameer Pandey, in the seat of Winston Hills, has been delivering for his community for years as a councillor in the City of Parramatta. He is passionate about delivering the best outcomes for constituents through improved investments in health and education, and through more responsible economic management. And Alex Karki, Labor's candidate for Kellyville, is determined to do better for New South Wales households and to tackle the housing crisis through creating a centralised agency for housing, abolishing stamp duty for first homebuyers and protecting tenants from eviction. I know that under the leadership of Chris Minns and Prue Car, and alongside great local representatives like Stephen Bali and Hugh McDermott, these candidates would be a great addition to the New South Wales Labor team.

In reflecting on last year, I'd like to finish this speech by saying thank you. With all its challenges, we still have a lot to celebrate when we look back on 2022: from finally getting a new mobile tower in The Ponds approved, with construction starting only a few weeks ago, to forcing the New South Wales Liberal government to change course and include an emergency department at the new Rouse Hill Hospital through our grassroots campaign. And we raised over a thousand dollars for breast cancer awareness at my annual Pink Breakfast Morning Tea.

None of this could have happened without the good people of Greenway. I want to thank the community groups and organisations that have kept our electorate going in the toughest of times. They include: the Riverstone Neighbourhood Centre; St Clements Anglican Church in Lalor Park; the Blacktown STRIDE Safe Space; the various Lions clubs, Rotary clubs and other community clubs across the electorate; the Harman Foundation, which only on Saturday night celebrated its 10th anniversary; the Gurdwara Sahib Glenwood Sikh Temple; and Hands & Feet in Kings Park, and so many more.

As so many local residents know, the essentials of Greenway can probably be summed up in just three words: quality of life. That means ensuring that our area has the infrastructure it needs, be that through the improved roads that I mentioned, to ensure that we have the best facilities for families. These include local parks and recreation spaces, which, on face value, might not sound like much. But, as I mentioned, at a time when we had a five-kilometre movement limit during lockdowns, it was astounding to learn that there were some local residents in new estates in north-west Sydney who had no infrastructure within five kilometres. This adversely impacted not only on the way that they were living but also on their mental health and that of their children. It is astounding to think that in the 21st century we have that level of disparity when it comes to these essential community facilities. As I said, the way in which Greenway residents responded by letting their local council, state members and myself, as their federal member, know what they needed, and to have that reflected in a cooperative approach to getting these facilities approved and constructed, has been a great thing. I certainly look forward to the coming months and years, that as these approvals are given and as those partnerships roll out that infrastructure we see a definite improvement in the quality of life for local residents in Greenway.

I also mentioned the case of the mobile tower at The Ponds. This was an application that had been sitting waiting for years. It was scheduled to be built on community land, which required approval, ultimately, from the New South Wales government. It was through a sustained effort by local residents, and also by ensuring that we got the carriers on board that we had the necessary approvals in place, that we finally got this construction happening—it was a long time coming. When you have people living in new estates, and they rightfully expect that they will have mobile services, along with water, electricity and sewerage, then you realise that this is essential infrastructure that so many people rely on. People rely on it for their small businesses, their children rely on it for studying at home and people rely on it in safety situations as well. So we look forward to this tower being completed and the benefits of that connectivity being felt right throughout The Ponds.

And, of course, there is the issue of other essential infrastructure that people expect when they move into a new suburb. Schools in north-west Sydney have been overflowing. We have had situations where, within even one or two years, local schools that have been built have all of a sudden had just about their entire car parks and playgrounds overtaken by demountables because insufficient planning was put in place to cater for the education needs of those children. This is simply not good enough.

We see this happening again the case of Rouse Hill Hospital, which has been promised by the New South Wales Liberals at two successive elections. At the site right now all we have is fencing and bunting. Again, this has been a community campaign that has demanded not only that this hospital be built but also that it be built with an emergency department. It is absolutely inefficient to think that by constructing a new hospital in such a growth area, and by saving money by not building it with an emergency department, this is somehow a good thing. This was a community campaign where people got on board and demanded action in this area, and I look forward to this being delivered.

Lastly, I thank the real heroes of the operation: not only local branch members but also supporters and so many members of the community who have been there for the last 13 years through successive elections, including in 2022. Above all else, I wish to thank my dear family. I thank my husband, Michael, who is a partner in a national law firm and has somehow managed to keep the show growing throughout these 13 years, and certainly the last 11, in which we've been parents. I thank my two children: my beautiful Octavia, who is about to turn 11, and Aurelia, who has just turned six. Both of them are facing big aspects of their lives this year, with Octavia going into year 6 and Aurelia going into year 1. I could not ask for smarter, more loving, more dedicated and funnier children. They are the absolute light of my life and of Michael's life. The fact is, they have known nothing other than mum trying to get re-elected. But, like the troupers they are, they always come together and help out. I say a very special thank you to Michael, Octavia and Aurelia.

A very big thank you goes to my favourite constituent, Frank Rowland, my dad. Dad just turned 91, but he has always been so proud to put a poster of me in his front yard. He has always been so proud to be there supporting all my endeavours in my legal career, in my political life and now in my ministry. I say a very special thank you to Frank Rowland for that. Dad has been the cornerstone of my life, and I think for every daughter her dad is her first love, so I thank him from the bottom of my heart. I also thank my extended family, who have always helped out. My mother-in-law and father-in-law, Sue and Sam Chaaya, my in-laws Sandra, Charlie, Myrna and George, who always come together and bring people together to help out with the campaign. These things don't just happen by themselves; you need volunteers to do every part of it. I don't think enough people understand the level of commitment that is given by family in these situations.

One of the most important things is to remember at all times the great principle that this Albanese government stands for—that is, equality of opportunity for everyone irrespective of where they live or what they earn. This government was elected on a platform to deliver for everyone, to be a government for all Australians. That is why we are absolutely committed in the communications portfolio to ensuring that everyone has the equality of access that they need in the communication space. That includes everything from mobile services to a better National Broadband Network, to ensuring, as we are at the moment with our review of the antisiphoning list, that people have the opportunity to view iconic sporting events as they would expect.

In this space, we are also looking forward. There are new technologies that are emerging in every space, including low earth-orbiting satellites, for example, and the difference they can make in rural, regional and remote Australia. All this points to a government that is looking to the future and to the challenges both in a regulatory sense and, most importantly, in those three words: quality of life. We are looking for quality of life for all Australians and how we can make that better.

As we move forward into finishing the first full year of the Albanese Labor government, moving into the second year, we can rest assured that these principles will always be guiding ones. As the Prime Minister has said on many occasions, 'There is no-one held back, but also no-one left behind.' That is the commitment I continue to bring to the good people of Greenway with great gratitude and looking towards a brighter future.

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