Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—It's 15 years since I first stood in this chamber. In fact, it was in the seat now occupied by my friend the member for Canberra. I'm now a bit fatter and a bit greyer, but I'm still full of optimism for the potential of this parliament to transform the lives of Australians and our country for the better.

I want to thank my electorate for returning me here to represent them through five elections. Much has changed over those 15 years: the boundaries, the name and the demographics of my electorate. I was first elected as the member for Throsby but assumed the title of the member for Whitlam in honour of the former Labor prime minister when he passed away. There are now suburbs where cows once grazed and horses roamed. But together, over many, many years, we have achieved great things.

In my first term here as a backbench MP in the Gillard government, we worked hard to ensure and secure the future of our steel industry. It was hard work, with big and difficult decisions to be made, but because of those decisions we have a steelworks which remains the defining feature of our region today. It's making profits and providing valuable jobs to thousands and thousands of local families. We've got a world-class university which is educating thousands of local students—my number is 8507404; the hint is in the first two numbers—and it's attracting thousands more to the region. For many, the degree that hangs upon their wall at home is the first such degree that has appeared in that household, ever. I'm proud of that. We've got TAFE colleges which are helping to train the workers much in need of skills and providing the skills that'll drive productivity for generations to come. In fact, the TAFE colleges are the reason that my family moved to the Illawarra. My father trained generations of steelworkers who worked in the steelworks before he passed away.

We've funded halls. We've built bridges. We've upgraded roads and sports fields and provided support to community organisations. All this is good stuff, but the real legacy is not mine—certainly not mine alone—but the ones I contributed to as a part of a team, a Labor team, through Labor governments. We've rolled out the NBN to suburbs. We've provided the National Disability Insurance Scheme for familie2s, providing dignity and sustenance where once none existed. We're rebuilding TAFE, including free TAFE. We're reducing the HECS debts for thousands and thousands of Australian students, and we're doing the slow but essential work of restoring Medicare.

When I first got here my kids were knee-high. They're now young adults. My daughter, Jessica, is up there with us in the chamber. I'm immensely proud of both of my children. Paddy, who I 've spoken about in this chamber before, is at school today, completing his HSC year. Jessica is here; she's finishing her studies to become a nurse—God knows, Australia needs more nurses. My children are amazing humans, but today I want to pay tribute to their mum, Julia; her partner, Luke; her mum Sally; her dad, Michael, and his wife Adrian. They've done so much to raise my children while I've been absent from our household. I want them to know that I never took it for granted. I'll be eternally grateful. I'm really sad that my mum, Margaret, who was here for my first speech, and my brother Adam won't be here for my last, because, sadly, they passed away in my time in this place.

I'm really rapt that that big unit up there in the gallery, my brother Luke, is here as the representative of my family. I'm grateful for his friendship—I'm look forward to spending more time with you too, mate.

My sister, Mandy, is not here, obviously. This is a difficult time of year for her. It's almost three years to the day when I stood in this chamber and I spoke of the passing of her son, Ollie, my nephew. I always think about him at this time of year. I hope for a better world for children to come.

In March last year, Brooke and I were married. Ours is a true love story. She's smart and charismatic, she has a smile that lights up a room and she's my person. On marrying her, I escalated to the presidency of the national society for men boxing above their weight.

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