Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to highlight a fabulous woman called Sandy from Married at First Sight. There are thousands of women across Australia who have wanted to give love a chance but who have been too scared to try. Sandy has been courageous to allow us to walk with her. In fact, Sandy has inspired a whole generation.

Australia is made up of many third-culture kids. We take our parents' culture and we blend it with Australian culture to create a cool hybrid culture. When I watched Sandy's wedding, I saw the way she skilfully did this. Sandy used her wicked sense of humour to disarm people to help them see the real her: smart, fierce, sassy and funny.

It sucks, but, for women, it's often hard for the first, whether it be the first female Prime Minister or the first woman in a migrant family to have a mixed-race relationship. It was tough when my Aunty Julie wanted to marry Uncle Jason in the 1960s. My dad smashed a fish tank when he first heard. By the time I got married, my dad embraced my husband. In my home of Swan, there are many mixed-race couples of different generations, and it's easier when the person you're dating has multicultural friends and a genuine curiosity to explore cultures.

I sense that Sandy will go through a period of healing, but know that we are so proud. I am certain that Sandy will find someone as fabulous as she is, because she doesn't deserve anything less.

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