Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On this first full sitting day of the 42nd Parliament, it is a great privilege to be back in the parliament to represent my constituency of Ryan. I am very indebted to the people of Ryan who supported me in what was clearly a difficult election for the coalition, but I like to think it is a reflection of the dedicated representation that I have given to the Ryan electorate, to the western suburbs of Brisbane, where I went to school and went to university as, of course, a younger man. I pay tribute to all those in the community that played a very strong role in ensuring that my election was successful.

As someone who believes very much in democracy, I also want to extend very warm congratulations to the new government. I extend very strong and genuine congratulations to the new Prime Minister; I wish him well in his high office. It certainly must be an honour to reach the high office of Prime Minister of this great country. I know that the people of my electorate, both those who voted for me and those who did not, will wish him well, because he has both an enormous privilege and an enormous responsibility—and I think that sentiment is shared by all those who represent their various constituencies in this place.

Tonight I want to flag a couple of things. The first is that in this place, on this historic day—the day that the national parliament extended an apology to the stolen generation for all the dreadful things that happened in our nation’s history—I want to add my name to the record, both as an individual and as the federal member for Ryan. I think it is entirely appropriate that the country is able to express its deep regret, its deep sadness and its deep sorrow for the terrible deeds that happened in the past. I believe that it is also fully incumbent upon the national government and the national parliament to do all in their power in terms of their resources to address and redress the pressing needs of our hundreds of thousands of Indigenous Australians who are not as advantaged as many others in the country—to ensure that they share in the prosperity and the wealth of our country. Today was an important day; it was a first step. I should add that I think it is a condition precedent to Australia moving forward. But it is not the sum total of what this country can and must do.

I also want to acknowledge the concerns or the anxieties of some of my colleagues who might have reservations about the issue. I think, if we are to be very fair, we should also respect the views held by others. We should not seek to diminish their right to hold their views. They are entirely right to hold the views they hold for whatever reason they hold them. We should not seek to diminish ourselves, those who have a certain view, by condemning the views of others—and I think it is very important not to do that. We should say, in fact, that they have a right to hold those views but, as a national parliament, we should express a position.

I also take this opportunity on this first day back, in terms of a full question time, to express my great disappointment that the new federal government has decided to abolish a $25 million commitment by the last federal government to support the Australian Rugby Union with the construction of an Australian national rugby academy at Ballymore, Brisbane. I played a role in this and I think, given the issues of young people, of obesity and of drugs, we need to do all we can to encourage young Australians to participate in sport. This academy would have been a wonderful nurturing ground, a wonderful nurturing facility, to get young men into an active sport, which in this case is rugby. Back on 30 June 2007, $25 million was committed by the former Primer Minister. It was not committed in the campaign itself; it was not an election commitment. It was not given in the caretaker period. It was a commitment. Now, as I understand it, because of paperwork, that commitment will not be honoured by this government. (Time expired)